Title: Kinesiophobia, her predictors and consequences in selected chronic diseases - theoretical review Objectives: To review the issue of the occurrence of kinesophobia in various chronic diseases and to identify its predictors. Methods: The diploma thesis was prepared in the form of a literature search using electronic resources of the National Medical Library, the Central Physical Education Library and professional databases Pubmed, EBSCO, SCORPUS, Medline, Web of Science. The first half of the work summarized all the theoretical background and knowledge of kinesophobia and selected chronic diseases. The second half was focused on the processing of the issue of kinesophobia in selected chronic diseases and on the mapping of their predictors. Results: Based on the processing of available resources dealing with the issue of kinesophobia in selected chronic diseases, a comprehensive overview was created. In patients with chronic low back pain, high levels of kinesophobia were most often associated with chronic pain, functional impairment associated with the disease, obesity, low levels of education, and emotional states (anxiety, depression). In coronary heart disease, high levels of kinesophobia were associated with a lack of understanding of the need for physical activity, social support,...

Lungs transplantation is a solution for the end stage of pulmonary disease after other therapeutic possibilities that the modern medicine has to offer have been exhausted. The main objective of this thesis is to show postoperative patient care after lung transplantation in the department anesthesiology and resuscitation. A highly specialized complex care and cooperation of various fields is needed. Nurses who take care of these patients must be experienced and skillful. They also need to manage well the nursing care for patients in sedation as well as fully conscious patents. It is also needed that the nurses are acquainted with specialized methods of hemodynamics measurements, administration of nitrous oxide and operation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine. They need to know well the drugs that are being administered. The thesis summarizes anatomy and physiology of respiratory system, it deals with lung disease and their symptoms which most often lead to lung transplantation. Finally, the thesis describes the development of lung transplantation from its beginning to the present including the number of cases of lung transplantation per year. The last chapter of the theoretical part also shows indication, contraindication and the main principles of patient care that is given prior to and...

Bakgrund: Kroniskt obstruktiv lungsjukdom (KOL) är ett folkhälsoproblem och den tredje vanligaste dödsorsaken i världen. KOL påverkar andningsvägar och lungor och leder till begränsning av luftflödet in och ut ur lungorna. Den främsta orsaken till sjukdomen är rökning. Sjukdomen påverkar patientens välbefinnande negativt och leder till lidande. Syftet:  Syftet var att beskriva patienters upplevelser av att leva med kroniskt obstruktiv lungsjukdom (KOL).  Metod: En litteraturöversikt med tio vetenskapliga artiklar och kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultatet: Tre kategorier och åtta subkategorier identifierades. De tre kategorierna var fysisk påverkan, psykisk påverkan och upplevelser av vård på sjukhus och i hemmet. Subkategorierna var trötthet och andfåddhet, att anpassa sig efter allt, måltidsupplevelse, rädsla, ångestframkallande känslor, isolering, patientupplevelser av sjukhusvistelse och patientupplevelser av att få vård från sina närstående. Slutsats: Patientupplevelser av KOL måste beaktas för att utveckla kunskapen om sjukdomen för denna patientgrupp. Psykiska och fysiska symtom såsom dyspné, ångest, rädsla för kvävning och begränsningar relaterade till trötthet och andningssvårigheter är den gemensamma upplevelsen som patienter med KOL beskrev. Att sjuksköterskan har tillräckligt med kunskap om sjukdomen är viktigt eftersom det skapar förtroende för behandlingen och ger trygghet till patienten. / Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a public health issue and the third leading cause of death worldwide. COPD affects the airways and lungs and leads to restriction of air flow in and out of the lungs. The main cause of the disease is smoking. The disease affects the patients’ well-being negatively and leads to suffering.  Aim: The aim was to describe the patients' experiences of living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Method: A literature review with ten scientific articles and qualitative content analysis. Result: Three categories and eight subcategories were identified. The three categories were physical impact, psychological impact, and experiences of care in hospital and at home. Subcategories were fatigue and shortness of breath, adjusting to everything, meal experience, fear, anxiety-provoking emotions, isolation, patient experiences of hospitalization and patient experiences of receiving care from their relatives.  Conclusion: The patient experience of COPD must be taken into account in order to develop knowledge about the disease for this patient group. Mental and physical effects such as dyspnea, anxiety, fear of suffocation and limitations related to fatigue and breathing difficulties are the common experiences described by patients with COPD. That the nurse has sufficient knowledge about the disease is important because it creates confidence in the treatment and gives security to the patient.

Bakgrund KOL är en global folksjukdom, och patienterna tillhör en patientgrupp som är frekvent inom hälso- och sjukvården. Dyspné, ångest och/eller depression tillhör de mest frekventa symtomen på KOL och kan ha en påverkan på livskvalitén. Då sjukdomen är kronisk innebär det att vårdfokus ligger i att underlätta symtom och förebygga snabb progression. En av de mer vanliga omvårdnadsåtgärderna vid KOL är fysisk aktivitet. Då detta är en egenvårdsåtgärd ställer det både vissa krav på patienten men även på sjuksköterskans förmåga att främja dessa åtaganden och vara behjälplig patienten med sin expertis. Syfte Syftet var att belysa sambandet mellan fysisk aktivitet och livskvalité hos patienter med KOL.​ Metod En systematisk litteraturöversikt baserad på resultatet av 10 artiklar med kvantitativ metod, vars innehåll analyserades och kvalitetsgranskades. Artiklarnas resultat jämfördes och resulterade i tre övergripande teman för vilket resultatet baserades på. Resultat I resultatet framkom tre utmärkande huvudteman gällande fysisk aktivitet och dess samband med livskvalitén hos personer med KOL. Dessa tre belyste olika träningsformers påverkan på livskvalitén, träningsintensiteten betydelse för livskvalitén och dem positiva bieffekterna som träningen innebar och deras samband med en högre livskvalité. Slutsats Slutsatsen av litteraturöversikten visar att fysisk aktivitet hade ett positivt samband med livskvalitet hos KOL-patienter. Sambandet är oberoende av intensitet och träningsmetod. Främjande av fysisk aktivitet kan förbättra inte bara livskvaliteten, utan även andra KOL-relaterade symtom som depression, ångest och dyspné. KOL anses fortfarande som en lågstatussjukdom och patienterna upplever stigmatisering och skam. Detta talar för att kontinuerliga utbildningar för sjuksköterskor och vårdpersonal är avgörande för att kunna erbjuda personcentrerad vård och stödja patienterna mot en mer aktiv livsstil, vilket kan mildra negativa konsekvenser i patienternas vardag. / Background COPD is a global public health issue, and the patients belong to a group that frequently seeks healthcare services. Dyspnea, anxiety, and/or depression are among the most common symptoms of COPD and can impact the quality of life. As the disease is chronic, the focus of care is on alleviating symptoms and preventing rapid progression. One of the more common nursing interventions for COPD is physical activity. As this is a self-care measure, it places certain demands on the patient as well as on the nurse's ability to promote these commitments and assist the patient with their expertise. Aim The aim of this study was to illustrate the relationship between excersise and quality of life in patients living with COPD. Method A systematic literature review based on the findings of 10 articles using a quantitative approach, whose content was analyzed and quality-reviewed. The results of the articles were compared, resulting in three overarching themes upon which the findings were based. Results In the results, three distinctive main themes emerged, regarding physical activity and its correlation with the quality of life in individuals with COPD. These three highlighted the impact of different forms of exercise on the quality of life, the significance of exercise intensity for the quality of life, and the positive side effects that exercise entailed and their connection to higher quality of life. Conclusions The conclusion of the literature review indicates that physical activity has a positive correlation with the quality of life in COPD patients. This association is independent of intensity and training method. The study emphasizes that promoting physical activity can improve not only the quality of life, but also other COPD-related symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and dyspnea. COPD is still considered a low-status disease, and patients experience stigma and shame. This emphasizes the need for continuous education for nurses and healthcare professionals to provide person-centered care and support patients toward a more active lifestyle, which can alleviate negative consequences in their daily lives.

Kroniskt Obstruktiv Lungsjukdom (KOL) är en sjukdom som mellan 500 000 och 700 000 människor beräknas lida av i Sverige idag och det är en sjukdom som blir allt vanligare. Enligt nya riktlinjer ifrån Socialstyrelsen kan daglig träning i form av styrka och kondition ge en ökad livskvalité för personer som är sjuka i KOL. Det är dock svårt att få patienterna till daglig fysisk träning, en av anledningarna är att patienterna har svårt att andas vilket leder till ångest vid till exempel pulshöjning. Vi ställer oss därmed frågan om patienterna med hjälp av en applikation till smartphones som har inslag av spelifiering skulle kunna öka sin motivation till daglig träning.Arbetet inleds med en förundersökning där det utförs en litteraturstudie, en analys av fyra olika motivations-applikationer samt intervjuer med fem stycken sjuksköterskor och sjukgymnaster som arbetar med KOL-patienter inom primärvården. Detta görs för att få ett underlag om vad för funktionalitet och vilken design applikationen bör ha för att tilltala sin målgrupp. Utifrån det underlaget utarbetas en applikation som testas på sex personer genom användartester med efterföljande intervjuer.Resultat visar på att det framtagna konceptet är intressant och de tillfrågade anser att applikationen kan öka deras motivationen till daglig träning. Graden av spelifiering i applikationen upplevs motiverande och kul och att det finns utrymme för vidareutveckling av detta. / Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a disease that is estimated to affect 500 000 to 700 000 people in Sweden today and it is a disease that keeps becoming more common. According to new guidelines from The National Board of Health and Welfare daily exercise give increased quality of life to a person ill from COPD. It is however difficult to get these people to exercise daily due to the fact that their breathing difficulties increase during training. So we want to examine the possibilities to increase these peoples motivation to enhance their daily exercise with a mobile application containing elements of gamification.With that in mind we start of by performing a literature study, an analysis of four motivational applications and interviewing five people who works with COPD in the primary care units. The goal of this is to get a feel of what functionality this kind of application should contain. We then develop an application and test it on six people to get an indication whether the design works or not. The tests are followed by an interview of each of the testers. What we find is that the application as a concept works very well. The interviewed people think it is an interesting solution to increase their daily exercise. The degree of gamification that the application contains is perceived to be motivational and fun.

Background Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common disease affecting people worldwide, with smoking being the most common cause. COPD affects the airways and presents symptoms such as breathlessness and coughing. The nurse's role is to identify and understand the patient's unique needs to provide adequate help and support.   Aim The aim was to describe patients’ experiences of living with COPD.  Method A litterature review was conducted based on eleven qualitative scientific articles. Articles searches were obtained from the databases Cinahl Complete and PubMed. The articles were analysed according to Friberg’s (2017) method. Results The results are presented within three main themes: physical limitations, emotional distress, and support in daily life. Regarding physical limitations, breathlessness, fatigue, and reduced mobility were common symptoms that restricted daily activities. In the theme of emotional distress, anxiety, fear, guilt, and shame were symptoms that negatively impacted patients with COPD. In the final theme support in daily life, patients reported that family members and healthcare professionals played crucial roles in providing support. Conclusions Patients with COPD experienced significant physical, psychological, and social challenges in their daily lives. These challenges negatively impact the quality of life and well-being of these patients and can lead to social isolation and loneliness. Person-centered care is crucial for meeting the needs of these patients and involving both the patient and relatives in care can be very helpful. / Bakgrund Kronisk obstruktiv lungsjukdom (KOL) är en folksjukdom som påverkar människor över hela världen, och den vanligaste orsaken till sjukdomen är rökning. KOL karaktäriseras av luftvägsobstruktion och ger symtom såsom andnöd och hosta. Det är av stor vikt att sjuksköterskan identifierar och förstår varje patientens unika behov för att kunna erbjuda ett optimaltstöd och vård. Syfte Syftet var att beskriva patienters erfarenheter av att leva med KOL. Metod En litteraturöversikt baserad på elva kvalitativa vetenskapliga artiklar. Artikelsökningar hämtades från databaserna Cinahl Complete och PubMed. Artiklarna analyserades enligt Fribergs (2017) metod. Resultat Resultatet presenteras i tre huvudteman; fysiska begränsningar, emotionella påfrestningar och stöd i vardagen. I temat fysiska begränsningar var andfåddhet, trötthet och nedsatt rörlighet vanliga symtom som begränsade patienters vardag. I temat emotionella påfrestningar var ångest, rädsla, skuld och skam, symtom som påverkade patienterna negativt. I det sista temat stöd i vardagen rapporterade patienterna att anhöriga och vårdpersonal var viktiga i stödarbetet. Slutsats Patienter med KOL upplevde betydande fysiska, psykiska och sociala utmaningar i sitt dagliga liv. Dessa utmaningar påverkade patienters livskvalitet och välbefinnande på ett negativt sätt och kan leda till social isolering och ensamhet. Personcentrerad vård är avgörande för att möta behov hos patienter med KOL och att involvera både patienter och närstående i vården kan vara till stor hjälp.

No / Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are the mostly used engineered metal oxide nanoparticles in consumer products. This has increased the likelihood of human exposure to this engineered nanoparticle (ENPs) through different routes. At present, the majority of the studies concerning ZnO ENPs toxicity have been conducted using in vitro and in vivo systems. In this study, for the first time we assessed the effect of ZnO ENPs on the major cellular pathways in the lymphocytes of healthy individuals as well as in susceptible patients suffering from lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Using the differential expression analysis, we observed a significant (P < 0.05) dose-dependent (10, 20 and 40 microg/ml for 6h) increase in the expression of tumour suppressor protein p53 (40, 60 and 110%); Ras p21 (30, 52 and 80%); c-Jun N-terminal kinases; JNKs) (28, 47 and 78%) in lung cancer patient samples treated with ZnO ENPs compared to healthy controls. A similar trend was also seen in COPD patient samples where a significant (P < 0.05) dose-dependent increase in the expression of tumour suppressor protein p53 (26, 45 and 84%), Ras p21 (21, 40 and 77%), JNKs (17, 32 and 69%) was observed after 6h of ZnO ENPs treatment at the aforesaid concentrations. However, the increase in the expression profile of tested protein was not significant in the asthma patients as compared to controls. Our results reiterate the concern about the safety of ZnO ENPs in consumer products and suggest the need for a complete risk assessment of any new ENPs before its use.

L’asthme et la maladie pulmonaire obstructive chronique (MPOC) se classent au premier rang parmi les maladies respiratoires les plus fréquentes au Québec. Une mauvaise maîtrise de l’asthme et de la MPOC entraîne d’importantes répercussions sur la santé et la qualité de vie des patients et sur les coûts associés au système de santé canadien, dues à de fréquentes consultations médicales, des visites à l’urgence, des hospitalisations et des décès précoces. Il est donc très important d’évaluer l’usage optimal des médicaments dans le traitement de ces maladies afin de réduire la morbidité et la mortalité Cette thèse vise à comparer dans un premier temps l’efficacité des médicaments en situation réelle dans le traitement de la MPOC sur le taux d’exacerbations et la mortalité puisque les études observationnelles publiées à ce sujet comportaient des biais majeurs dus à une mauvaise mesure de l’exposition au traitement. Ainsi, dans le cadre de cette thèse, deux banques de données administratives québécoises ont été appariées pour créer une cohorte de 36 492 patients âgés de 50 ans ou plus atteints de MPOC (1995-1999) Dans cette cohorte, la théophylline diminuait davantage les exacerbations que les β2-agonistes à longue durée d’action (BALA, RR = 0,89; IC 95 % : 0,84-0,95), mais elle était moins efficace en situation réelle que les corticostéroïdes inhalés (CSI, RR = 1,07; IC 95 % : 1,04-1,10). Un devis cas-témoins niché dans cette cohorte a permis de vérifier que les CSI seuls ou combinés avec un BALA étaient plus efficients pour réduire la mortalité comparativement aux BALA seuls (RR = 0,69; IC 95 % : 0,53-0,88 et RR = 0,73; IC 95 % : 0,56-0,96, respectivement). L’efficacité des CSI dans le traitement de l’asthme pour réduire les exacerbations et la mortalité n’est plus à prouver, cependant la non-adhésion et la non-persistance aux CSI sont grandement problématiques. À notre connaissance, aucune étude n’a évalué l’impact du type d’assurance médicaments sur l'adhésion et la persistance des Québécois aux CSI en raison de l’absence des personnes qui ont une assurance médicaments privée dans la banque de données des services pharmaceutiques de la Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec. Afin de combler ce manque, une des parties intégrantes de cette thèse a été de développer le registre reMed. Par la suite, une cohorte d’utilisateurs de CSI âgés de 20 à 64 ans a été sélectionnée à partir de reMed (2008-2010) et ces sujets ont été appariés à des utilisateurs de CSI sélectionnés à partir de la banque de données des services pharmaceutiques de la Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ). Les résultats de cette dernière étude indiquent que même si l’adhésion était faible dans les deux cohortes, les patients ayant une assurance médicaments privée étaient moins adhérant que les patients couverts par l’assurance médicaments publique de la RAMQ (différence moyenne d’adhésion de -9,7 %; IC 95 % : -13,2 % à -6,5 %). De plus, ces patients couverts par une assurance médicaments privée étaient aussi 52 % plus susceptibles d'arrêter leur traitement de CSI au cours d’une année (HR = 1,52; IC 95 % : 1,16-2,00). En conclusion, selon les travaux de cette thèse, la théophylline peut être considérée comme une thérapie efficace en situation réelle pour prévenir les exacerbations aiguës de la MPOC d’autant plus qu’elle est moins dispendieuse que les traitements en inhalations et que sa formulation orale procurerait, selon la littérature, une meilleure adhésion que les médicaments en inhalation. Quant aux CSI, ils ont un rôle important dans le traitement de l’asthme, mais aussi dans le traitement de la MPOC, puisque selon les résultats de cette thèse, ils procureraient une plus grande diminution du risque d’exacerbations aiguës de la MPOC et de la mortalité par rapport aux autres traitements. Par contre, il a aussi été démontré que l'adhésion et la persistance aux CSI étaient très faibles, particulièrement dans le traitement de l’asthme. Le type d’assurance médicaments serait un facteur déterminant de l’adhésion et de la persistance aux CSI. D’autres études seront nécessaires pour évaluer si les différences d’adhésion et de persistance observées dans cette étude se traduisent par des différences sur l’utilisation et les coûts des soins de santé. De plus, il sera nécessaire d’étudier si les différences observées se limitent aux CSI ou si le type d’assurance médicaments a impact sur la prise d’autres médicaments indiqués dans le traitement des maladies chroniques. / Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are the most prevalent respiratory diseases in Quebec. Poor control of asthma and COPD has a significant economic impact on the health care system, but also on patient’s quality of life, due to frequent medical visits, emergency department visits, hospitalizations and early death. Therefore, it is very important to assess the optimal usage of medications in the treatment of these diseases in order to reduce morbidity and mortality. The first aim of the present thesis was to compare the effectiveness of medications in the treatment of COPD on the rate of exacerbations and mortality because observational studies published on this subject included major bias due to inaccuracy in the treatment exposure measurement. Thus, in the context of this thesis, two Québec administrative databases were matched to select a cohort of 36 492 COPD patients aged 50 years or older (1995-1999). In this cohort, the rate of exacerbations was lower among theophylline users than long-acting β2-agonists (LABA) users (RR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.84 -0.95), but theophylline was less effective than inhaled corticosteroids (ICS, RR=1.07, 95% CI: 1.04 -1.10). From this cohort, a nested case-control found that ICS alone or in combination with LABA were more effective in reducing mortality compared with LABA alone (RR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.53-0.88 and RR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.56 to 0.96, respectively). The efficacy of ICS in the treatment of asthma to reduce exacerbations and mortality is well proven, however, non-adherence and non-persistence with ICS are highly problematic. To our knowledge, no study has evaluated the impact of the type of drug plan insurance on the adherence and persistence with ICS among Quebecers due to the lack of information on prescribed medications for people with private drug insurance in the Régie de l' assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) pharmaceutical database. In order to circumvent the lack, the reMed registry was developed as part of this thesis. Thereafter, a cohort users of ICS aged between 20-64 years was selected from reMed (2008-2010) and then matched to users of ICS selected from the RAMQ pharmaceutical database. The results of this study suggest that although adherence was low in both cohorts, patients privately insured were less adherent than patients publicly with the RAMQ (mean difference of adherence -9.7%; 95% CI: -13% to -6.5%). Moreover, patients privately insured were also found to be 52% more likely to stop their ICS during the first year (HR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.16 to 2.00). In conclusion, based on the work of this thesis, theophylline may be considered as an effective therapy to prevent acute COPD exacerbations. Furthermore, theophyllines are less expensive than inhaled medications and its oral formulation would provide, according to the literature, better adhesion than inhaled medications. ICS are important in the treatment of asthma, but also in the treatment of COPD, since according to the results of this thesis, they would provide a greater reduction on the rate of acute COPD exacerbations and mortality compared to other treatments. However, it was also demonstrated that adherence and persistence with ICS were very low in the treatment of asthma particularly. The type of drug insurance plan is a determinant of adherence and persistence with ICS. Further studies are needed to assess whether differences in adherence and persistence observed in this study result in differences in the use of health services and health care costs. In addition, it will be necessary to investigate whether the observed differences are limited to ICS or if the type of drug insurance has an impact on medications for other chronic diseases.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) describes a range of lung conditions including emphysema, chronic bronchitis and small airways disease. While COPD is a major cause of death and debilitating illness, current clinical assessment methods are inadequate: they are a poor predictor of patient outcome and insensitive to mild disease. A new imaging technology, hyperpolarised xenon MRI, offers the hope of improved diagnostic techniques, based on regional measurements using functional imaging. There is a need for quantitative analysis techniques to assist in the interpretation of these images. The aim of this work is to develop these techniques as part of a clinical trial into hyperpolarised xenon MRI. In this thesis we develop a fully automated pipeline for deriving regional measurements of lung function, making use of the multiple imaging modalities available from the trial. The core of our pipeline is a novel method for automatically segmenting the pulmonary lobes from CT data. This method combines a Hessian-based filter for detecting pulmonary fissures with anatomical cues from segmented lungs, airways and pulmonary vessels. The pipeline also includes methods for segmenting the lungs from CT and MRI data, and the airways from CT data. We apply this lobar map to the xenon MRI data using a multi-modal image registration technique based on automatically segmented lung boundaries, using proton MRI as an intermediate stage. We demonstrate our pipeline by deriving lobar measurements of ventilated volumes and diffusion from hyperpolarised xenon MRI data. In future work, we will use the trial data to further validate the pipeline and investigate the potential of xenon MRI in the clinical assessment of COPD. We also demonstrate how our work can be extended to build personalised computational models of the lung, which can be used to gain insights into the mechanisms of lung disease.

Maladies fréquentes, l’asthme touche 8,4% de la population canadienne âgée de 12 ans et plus et la maladie pulmonaire obstructive chronique (MPOC) touche de 5 à 15% de la population âgée entre 35 et 79 ans. L’asthme et la MPOC peuvent coexister chez un patient. Ce phénomène appelé syndrome de chevauchement de l’asthme et de la MPOC (ACOS) toucherait environ 10% à 55% des patients MPOC. Afin de mieux caractériser l’ACOS et les effets indésirables des médicaments utilisés pour traiter la MPOC, deux études ont été mises en place. Une première étude réalisée auprès de pneumologues a permis de décrire les méthodes de diagnostic, de traitement et d’évaluation de la maitrise de l’ACOS dans la pratique clinique. Les pneumologues rapportent que le diagnostic devrait être basé sur les caractéristiques cliniques, les tests de fonction pulmonaire et l'intuition clinique du médecin. De plus, un corticostéroïde inhalé en combinaison et un bronchodilatateur inhalé à longue durée d’action devraient être introduits rapidement dans le plan de traitement. La deuxième étude a permis d’évaluer la fréquence des effets indésirables chez les patients MPOC/ACOS traités avec un bronchodilatateur inhalé à longue durée d’action. Cette étude démontre que les effets indésirables sont fréquents chez les patients MPOC/ACOS et que la sécheresse buccale et la gorge sèche sont les plus rapportés. Ces résultats démontrent que la mise en place de lignes directrices pour l’ACOS ainsi qu’une meilleure connaissance du profil de tolérance des bronchodilatateurs inhalés à longue durée d’action seraient bénéfiques pour les patients / Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are frequent in Canada with a prevalence of 8.4% among Canadians aged 12 and over for asthma and a prevalence of 5 to 15% among Canadians aged 35 to 79 years. Asthma and COPD can coexist in a patient and this Asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) affects about 10% to 55% of COPD patients. To better understand this syndrome, two studies were designed and conducted. First, focus groups evaluated how pulmonologists diagnose and treat ACOS, and how they assess its control in routine clinical practice. The pulmonologists reported that the diagnosis must be based on clinical characteristics, pulmonary function tests, and clinical intuition. They also agreed that the treatment should target the features of both asthma and COPD. The second study assessed the prevalence of adverse events in COPD/ACOS patients on long-acting inhaled anticholinergics (LAAC) and β2-agonists (LABA) in a real-world setting. This study demonstrates that side effects are common among COPD/ACOS patients. Dry mouth and dry throat were the most reported side effects. These results demonstrate that more explicit guidelines for ACOS and a better understanding of the safety profile of long-acting bronchodilators would be beneficial for patients.