Pulmonary function change in patients with Sauropus androgynus-related obstructive lung disease 15 years later.
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE
Little is understood about the clinical course and prognosis of patients with Sauropus androgynus-related obstructive lung disease. The aim of this study was to investigate their clinical manifestations and pulmonary function change 15 years after the acute episode.


METHODS
A descriptive, observational study of patients with S androgynus-related obstructive lung disease, diagnosed 15 years ago, was conducted. We evaluated their pulmonary function and the Modified Medical Research Council (MMRC) dyspnea scale. Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) was also performed. Age- and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)-matched chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients were used as a reference group for comparison of clinical manifestations.


RESULTS
Twenty-nine of 49 patients, diagnosed at our hospital 15 years ago, could be contacted. Four patients died and one patient was ventilator-dependent. Sixteen patients were willing to come to our hospital to have pulmonary function and questionnaire evaluation. The FEV1 of these patients declined only 1.6 ± 21.6 mL/year over a 15-year period. Meanwhile, the severity of their dyspnea and their health-related quality of life were better than age- and FEV1-matched COPD patients as shown by the MMRC dyspnea scale (1.4 ± 0.8 vs. 2.0 ± 1.0; p = 0.037) and symptom domain of the SGRQ (32.6 ± 18.4 vs. 43.5 ± 20.3; p = 0.006).


CONCLUSION
After an acute deterioration, patients with S androgynus-related obstructive lung disease had a stationary pulmonary function over a period of 15 years, and their clinical manifestations were less severe than age- and FEV1-matched COPD patients. A further study with a larger sample size may be needed to confirm these findings.