Browsing by Author "Kaplan, Alan"

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    Adult Asthma Consensus Guidelines Update 2003
    (2004-01-01) Lemière, Catherine; Bai, Tony; Balter, Meyer; Bayliff, Charles; Becker, Allan; Boulet, Louis-Philippe; Bowie, Dennis; Cartier, André; Cave, Andrew; Chapman, Kenneth; Cowie, Robert; Coyle, Stephen; Cockcroft, Donald; Ducharme, Francine M; Ernst, Pierre; Finlayson, Shelagh; FitzGerald, J Mark; Hargreave, Frederick E; Hogg, Donna; Kaplan, Alan; Kim, Harold; Kelm, Cheryle; O’Byrne, Paul; Sears, Malcolm; Markham, Andrea White; on behalf of the Canadian Adult Consensus Group of the Canadian Thoracic Society,
    BACKGROUND: Several sets of Canadian guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma have been published over the past 15 years. Since the last revision of the 1999 Canadian Asthma Consensus Report, important new studies have highlighted the need to incorporate new information into the asthma guidelines.OBJECTIVES: To review the literature on adult asthma management published between January 2000 and June 2003; to evaluate the influence of the new evidence on the recommendations made in the 1999 Canadian Asthma Consensus Guidelines and its 2001 update; and to report new recommendations on adult asthma management.METHODS: Three specific topics for which new evidence affected the previous recommendations were selected for review: initial treatment of asthma, add-on therapies in the treatment of asthma and asthma education. The resultant reviews were discussed in June 2003 at a meeting under the auspices of the Canadian Thoracic Society, and recommendations for adult asthma management were reviewed.RESULTS: The present report emphasises the importance of the early introduction of inhaled corticosteroids in symptomatic patients with mild asthma; stresses the benefit of adding additional therapy, preferably long-acting beta2-agonists, to patients incompletely controlled on low doses of inhaled corticosteroids; and documents the essential role of asthma education.CONCLUSION: The present report generally supports many of the previous recommendations published in the 1999 Canadian Asthma Consensus Report and provides higher levels of evidence for a number of those recommendations.
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    Canadian Thoracic Society Recommendations for Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – 2008 Update – Highlights for Primary Care
    (2008-01-01) O’Donnell, Denis E; Hernandez, Paul; Kaplan, Alan; Aaron, Shawn; Bourbeau, Jean; Marciniuk, Darcy; Balter, Meyer; Ford, Gordon; Gervais, Andre; Lacasse, Yves; Maltais, Francois; Road, Jeremy; Rocker, Graeme; Sin, Don; Sinuff, Tasmin; Voduc, Nha
    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major respiratory illness in Canada that is preventable and treatable but unfortunately remains underdiagnosed. The purpose of the present article from the Canadian Thoracic Society is to provide up-to-date information so that patients with this condition receive optimal care that is firmly based on scientific evidence. Important summary messages for clinicians are derived from the more detailed Update publication and are highlighted throughout the document. Three key messages contained in the update are: use targeted screening spirometry to establish a diagnosis and initiate prompt management (including smoking cessation) of mild COPD; improve dyspnea and activity limitation in stable COPD using new evidence-based treatment algorithms; and understand the importance of preventing and managing acute exacerbations, particularly in moderate to severe disease.