The Global Burden of Disease Study reveals differences in global and US trends for asthma prevalence and incidence over the last 3 decades.
While the global population experienced a decrease in the annual incidence of asthma from 1990 to 2019, an increase of 10% was seen in the United States. Despite these differences, mortality from asthma declined to a similar extent globally and in the United States.
Asthma in young adults is associated with higher sickness absence and productivity loss, according to a Swedish study.
Sickness absence for adults who were 24 years old was more common for those with asthma than those without, particularly in cases of persistent or uncontrolled asthma and asthma in combination with rhinitis. Additionally, productivity losses were a third higher for young adults with asthma and more than double if they had uncontrolled asthma.
Mental disorder diagnosis in people with COPD increased the risk of unplanned readmission and death in an Australian study.
The chance of readmission in the 12 months after a COPD-related hospitalization was high in people with anxiety, suggesting that treating it could prevent rehospitalization. Individuals with anxiety and those with dementia had high risks of mortality before and after a readmission.
In this first study examining the link between bedtime and asthma in adults, a later bedtime was found to increase the risk of asthma.
Going to bed after 23:00 increased the risk of asthma in adults by 20% compared with a bedtime between 21:00 and 23:00 in a study in the United States. People were especially prone to developing asthma if they were 18–39 years old, women or of Hispanic ethnicity.
Implementation of American Thoracic Society guidelines for use of long-term non-invasive ventilation (NIV) reduced mortality from hypercapnic respiratory failure in COPD.
At a tertiary treatment centre in the United States, there was 40% lower mortality among patients who used NIV compared with those who declined NIV. Reasons for lack of uptake were financial, claustrophobia or personal preference.
A high prevalence of mental health conditions in people with asthma suggests routine asthma care should include mental health assessments and interventions.
Fearful anxiety was the most common mental health condition at an asthma outpatient clinic in Greece. Higher levels of mental disorders were linked to a longer duration of asthma, uncontrolled asthma and severe asthma.
The importance of early detection of COPD among people who smoke is brought into sharp relief by the Healthy Lung Initiative (HLI) in Egypt.
When over 1047 mainly male smokers were surveyed, 47% reported shortness of breath on exertion and 17% had all 3 cardinal COPD symptoms, but only 4.3% had been asked to perform lung function tests. Just 3% had a confirmed diagnosis of COPD.
Smokers and ex-smokers in Canada diagnosed with COPD or who have asthma-COPD overlap have provided insights into smoking cessation programmes.
A successful smoking cessation programme should include both professional and social support, with ex-smokers serving as mentors. Individualized plans as well as group settings should be considered to take account of different motivations. While opinions on the role of e-cigarettes were mixed, telehealth-based programmes were favoured as they can provide immediate support and are accessible from remote areas.
Monitoring the type and history of healthcare interactions of people with COPD may help in planning home care according to researchers in Norway.
People with COPD may need home care if they are in the top 10% for yearly primary care practitioner visits, inpatient admissions or outpatient hospital contacts. Once individuals have received home care, the type of care could help in predicting their admission to a nursing home or death.
CC-MED-3-05/2025
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