Dear Dr. Roach: What signs and/or symptoms do you need for a doctor to determine you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ?The diagnosis of COPD is suspected in people who are at risk for the disease and note one of two cardinal symptoms: cough or dyspnea. Dyspnea is usually described as shortness of breath, a sensation that a person can’t get enough air. Some people with COPD may have very subtle symptoms.
The diagnosis is confirmed most often by tests of lung function, which are breathing tests to look at the physiology of the lung and its ability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. Sometimes, the diagnosis can be supported by an X-ray or CT scan, but pulmonary function testing is the best way to determine the severity of COPD.
Dear Dr. Roach: Is it true that Trulicity may cause serious side effects, including thyroid tumours and cancer, as well as pancreatitis?Dulaglutide , like semaglutide and liraglutide , are in a class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which have several actions, such as increasing insulin release by the pancreas in response to meals. Initial studies on lab rats showed an increase in an unusual type of thyroid cancer, but studies have not yet shown this in humans.