TY - JOUR T1 - Morphine to relieve exertional dyspnoea in COPD: myth, dream or reality? JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J DO - 10.1183/13993003.01865-2017 VL - 50 IS - 4 SP - 1701865 AU - Louis Laviolette AU - Pierantonio Laveneziana Y1 - 2017/10/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/50/4/1701865.abstract N2 - Dyspnoea, “the subjective experience of breathing discomfort that consists of qualitatively distinct sensations that vary in intensity” [1], is ever present in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and affects almost all aspects of their daily lives [2]: up 60% of patients have limitations in normal physical activity and more than a third are restricted in family activities [2]. Dyspnoea is usually the earliest and most troublesome complaint for which these patients seek medical attention. As the underlying disease advances, dyspnoea progresses relentlessly, invariably leading to a gradual decrease in activity levels and associated skeletal muscle deconditioning and impoverished quality of life [2]. Dyspnoea also has strong prognostic value for mortality: stronger than the forced expiratory volume in 1 s in patients with COPD or angina in patients with heart disease [3, 4].Opioids show promise in managing exertional dyspnoea; safety of widespread use in COPD patients remains unproven http://ow.ly/A9bX30fr7FR ER -