Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Fibrinogen, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Copd) And Outcomes In Two United States Cohorts, Deepa Valvi, David M. Mannino, Hana Müllerova, Ruth Tal-Singer

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Fibrinogen is a marker of systemic inflammation and may be important in the pathogenesis and progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

METHODS: We used baseline data from Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities and Cardiovascular Health Studies to determine the relation between fibrinogen levels and COPD and to examine how fibrinogen levels at baseline affected outcomes of death, development of COPD, lung function decline, and COPD-hospitalizations.

RESULTS: Our study sample included 20,192 subjects, of whom 2995 died during the follow-up period. The mean fibrinogen level was 307.6 mg/dL and 10% of the sample had levels >393.0 mg/dL. Subjects with Stage …

Predictors Of Survival In A Cohort Of Patients With Polymyositis And Dermatomyositis: Effect Of Corticosteroids, Methotrexate And Azathioprine, Elena Schiopu, Kristine Phillips, Paul M. Macdonald, Leslie J. Crofford, Emily C. Somers

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are rare diseases for which data regarding the natural history, response to therapies and factors affecting mortality are needed. We performed this study to examine the effects of treatment and clinical features on survival in polymyositis and dermatomyositis patients.

METHODS: A total of 160 consecutive patients (77 with polymyositis and 83 with dermatomyositis) seen at the University of Michigan from 1997 to 2003 were included. Medical records were abstracted for clinical, laboratory and therapeutic data, including initial steroid regimen and immunosuppressive use. State vital records were utilized to derive mortality and cause of death data. …