Types of Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a broad group of lung diseases comprising of more than a hundred distinct disorders. All of these involve scarring or inflammation of the interstitial lung tissue and affect the volume of oxygen that can reach the bloodstream via the respiratory system. They can be classified into different types, according to the cause of the disease, […]

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Drug reduces risk of pneumonia in newborn mice

The underdeveloped lungs and immune systems of premature babies put them at high risk of potentially deadly pneumonia. Now, a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found, in mice, that an inhaled drug promotes the development of lung immunity and reduces the risk of pneumonia. The findings, published Aug. 14 in Science Advances, suggest that […]

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Seven-country study reveals viruses as new leading cause of global childhood pneumonia

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other viruses now appear to be the main causes of severe childhood pneumonia in low- and middle-income countries, highlighting the need for vaccines against these pathogens, according to a study from a consortium of scientists from around the world, led by a team at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Pneumonia is the […]

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Automated system better identifies patients at risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia

An automated system for identifying patients at risk for complications associated with the use of mechanical ventilators provided significantly more accurate results than did traditional surveillance methods, which rely on manual recording and interpretation of individual patient data. In their paper published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team report that their system—using an […]

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Call for older people to be vaccinated against pneumonia

Action is urgently needed to address declining vaccination rates against pneumococcal pneumonia, which causes more than 2,000 deaths each year in people aged over 65. Researchers, doctors and patients have teamed with Lung Foundation Australia during this week’s Pneumonia Awareness Week to call for proactive community action to address the declining vaccination rates against pneumococcal pneumonia – an infection responsible for more […]

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