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BACKGROUND: Inhalation of small particulate matter (PM 2.5) may be associated with development of respiratory disease. Increased respiratory symptoms have been reported among military staff after service in countries with recurrent desert storms. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate whether an assignment in a desert environment and exposure to desert storms are associated with negative effects on respiratory health. METHODS: In two cohorts of Swedish soldiers serving in Mali as part of the United Nations stabilization forces, examination with spirometry, determination of fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and a questionnaire including participant characteristics, symptoms, and exposure was performed before and after service. Ambient air sampling was conducted on-site. Paired t-test was used to compare pre- and post-variables on lung function data, FeNO and symptom level. RESULTS: Most indoor and outdoor air measurements of dust and silica were within the Swedish occupational exposure limit for PM2.5 and silica (<0.10-2.7 mg/m3 and <0.002-0.40 mg/m3, respectively) as well as for respirable dust and silica (0.056-0.078 mg/m3and 0.0033-0.025 mg/m3, respectively). In the subgroup of participants with reported exposure to desert storms during the stay in Mali, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) was significantly lower after exposure than before the mission (mean litres (SD) 4.21 ± 0.66 vs 4.33 ± 0.72, p = 0.021). CONCLUSION: Exposure to a desert storm was associated with a decrease in FEV1. Exposure to small particulate matter may contribute to the development of respiratory disease and thus spirometry should be performed after occupational exposure to desert storms.

Introduction: The aim of this paper was to study whether Swedish soldiers who have served abroad had a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms than the general population and, if this was the case, also to study whether this was associated with time spent in a desert environment. Methods: The prevalence of respiratory symptoms among 1,080 veterans from Kosovo and Afghanistan was compared with that in almost 27,000 subjects from a general population sample, using propensity score matching and logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of wheeze (16.3 vs. 12.3%), wheeze without a cold (11.1 vs. 8.0%), nocturnal coughing (26.6 vs. 20.1%) and chronic bronchitis (12.3 vs. 6.8%) was significantly higher among soldiers than controls (p < 0.05). A dose-response-related association was found between time spent in a desert environment and wheeze, wheeze with breathlessness and wheeze when not having a cold. Having been exposed to desert storms was related to nocturnal cough and chronic bronchitis. Conclusion: Swedish soldiers who had served abroad had a higher prevalence of wheeze and cough than a control group from the general population. The association between being exposed to a desert environment and respiratory symptoms indicates that further protective measures should be introduced for military personnel serving in a desert environment.

Introduction: The aim of this paper was to study whether Swedish soldiers who have served abroad had a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms than the general population and, if this was the case, also to study whether this was associated with time spent in a desert environment. Methods: The prevalence of respiratory symptoms among 1,080 veterans from Kosovo and Afghanistan was compared with that in almost 27,000 subjects from a general population sample, using propensity score matching and logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of wheeze (16.3 vs. 12.3%), wheeze without a cold (11.1 vs. 8.0%), nocturnal coughing (26.6 vs. 20.1%) and chronic bronchitis (12.3 vs. 6.8%) was significantly higher among soldiers than controls (p < 0.05). A dose-response-related association was found between time spent in a desert environment and wheeze, wheeze with breathlessness and wheeze when not having a cold. Having been exposed to desert storms was related to nocturnal cough and chronic bronchitis. Conclusion: Swedish soldiers who had served abroad had a higher prevalence of wheeze and cough than a control group from the general population. The association between being exposed to a desert environment and respiratory symptoms indicates that further protective measures should be introduced for military personnel serving in a desert environment.

Aims Since 1956, more than 100,000 Swedish soldiers have served abroad on various international missions. The aim of this paper was to determine whether there was a connection between military service abroad and sleep disorders among Swedish soldiers. Methods The prevalence of sleep disturbances among 1,080 veterans from Kosovo and Afghanistan was compared with almost 27,000 Swedes from a general population sample, using propensity score matching and logistic regression. The sleep disturbances studied were habitual snoring, difficulty inducing sleep (DIS), difficulty maintaining sleep (DMS), early morning awakenings (EMA), and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Insomnia was defined as having at least one of DIS, DMS, or EMA. The covariates used in the matching and adjustments were age, gender, smoking habits, BMI, education, ever having had asthma, moist snuff, and exercise habits. Results The veterans had a significantly lower prevalence of insomnia (26.2% versus 30.4%) and EDS (22.7% versus 29.4%) compared with a matched group from the reference population, using propensity score matching. Analyses with logistic regression showed that belonging to the military population was related to a lower risk of having DMS (adjusted OR (95% CI) 0.77 (0.64-0.91)), insomnia (OR 0.82 (0.71-0.95)), and EDS (OR 0.74 (0.63-0.86)), whereas no significant difference was found for snoring, DIS, and EMA. Conclusion Swedish veterans have fewer problems with insomnia and daytime sleepiness than the general Swedish population. The explanation of our findings may be the selection processes involved in becoming a soldier and when sampling personnel for military assignments abroad.

Aim: We investigated cost effectiveness of benralizumab vs. standard of care (SOC) plus oral corticosteroids (OCS) for patients with severe, eosinophilic OCS-dependent asthma in Sweden. Materials and methods: A three-state, cohort-based Markov model of data from three Phase III benralizumab clinical trials (ZONDA [NCT02075255], SIROCCO [NCT01928771], and CALIMA [NCT01914757]) was used to assess the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of benralizumab vs. SOC plus OCS. Health outcomes were estimated in terms of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). The model included costs and disutilities associated with extrapolated OCS-related adverse events. Patients with severe asthma were defined as those receiving OCS >= 5 mg/day. Results: Benralizumab demonstrated a cost-effectiveness ratio vs. SOC plus OCS of 2018 Swedish Kronor (SEK) 366,855 (euro34,127) per QALY gained, based on increases of 1.33 QALYs and SEK 488,742 (euro45,344) per patient. Benralizumab treatment costs contributed most to incremental costs. The probability of benralizumab's being cost-effective with willingness-to-pay (WTP) thresholds between SEK 429,972 (euro40,000) and SEK 752,452 (euro70,000) ranged from 75% to 99%. Limitations: Potential limitations of these analyses include the use of combined data from three different clinical trials, a one-way sensitivity analysis that did not include mortality and transition estimates, and Observational & Pragmatic Research Institute (OPRI) data from the UK as a proxy of the Swedish health care system. Conclusions: The results of these analyses demonstrate that benralizumab has a high probability of being cost-effective compared with SOC plus OCS for a subgroup of patients with severe, eosinophilic asthma receiving regular OCS treatment and may support clinicians, payers and patients in making treatment decisions.

Background: Patients with severe uncontrolled asthma may receive oral corticosteroid (OCS) treatment regularly. The present study investigated the health care resource utilization and cost in regularly OCS treated Swedish asthma patients. Methods: Primary care medical records data were linked to data from Swedish national health registries. Patients >= 18 years with a drug claim for obstructive pulmonary diseases during 2007-2009 (index date) and a prior asthma diagnosis, were classified by their OCS claims during the 12-months' post index period: regular OCS equals >= 5 mg per day; periodic OCS less than 5 mg per day; or non-OCS users. Cost of asthma-and OCS-morbidity-related health care resource utilization were calculated. Results: A total of 15,437 asthma patients (mean age 47.8, female 62.6%), whereof 223 (1.44%) were regular OCS users, 3054 (19.7%) were periodic, and 12,160 (78.7%) were non-OCS users. Regular OCS users were older and more often females, had lower lung function, greater eosinophil count and more co-morbidities at baseline compared with the other groups. Age-adjusted annual total health care cost was three-times greater in the regular OCS group ((sic)5615) compared with the non-OCS users ((SIC) 1980) and twice as high as in the periodic OCS group ((sic) 2948). The major cost driver in the non-OCS and periodic OCS groups were primary care consultations, whereas inpatient costs were the major cost driver in the regular OCS group. The asthma related costs represented 10-12% of the total cost in all three groups. Conclusion: In this real-life asthma study in Sweden, the total yearly cost of health care resource utilization for a regular OCS user was three times greater than for a patient with no OCS use, indicating substantial economic and health care burden for asthma patients on regular oral steroid treatment.

A gap exists between guidelines and real-world clinical practice for the management and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although this has narrowed in the last decade, there is room for improvement in detection rates, treatment choices and disease monitoring. In practical terms, primary care practitioners need to become aware of the huge impact of COPD on patients, have non-judgemental views of smoking and of COPD as a chronic disease, use a holistic consultation approach and actively motivate patients to adhere to treatment. This article is based on discussions at a virtual meeting of leading Nordic experts in COPD (the authors) who were developing an educational programme for COPD primary care in the Nordic region. The article aims to describe the diagnosis and lifelong management cycle of COPD, with a strong focus on providing a hands-on, practical approach for medical professionals to optimise patient outcomes in COPD primary care.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Download ; Purpose: To study changes in lung function among individuals with a risk of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), and if asthma affected this relationship. Methods: We used data from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey II and III, a multicentre general population study. Participants answered questionnaires and performed spirometry at baseline and 10-year follow-up (n = 4,329 attended both visits). Subjects with high risk for OSA were identified from the multivariable apnoea prediction (MAP) index, calculated from BMI, age, gender, and OSA symptoms at follow-up. Asthma was defined as having doctor's diagnosed asthma at follow-up. Primary outcomes were changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) from baseline to follow-up. Results: Among 5108 participants at follow-up, 991 (19%) had a high risk of OSA based on the MAP index. Participants with high OSA risk more often had wheeze, cough, chest tightness, and breathlessness at follow-up than those with low OSA risk. Lung function declined more rapidly in subjects with high OSA risk (low vs high OSA risk [mean ± SD]: FEV1 = - 41.3 ± 24.3 ml/year vs - 50.8 ± 30.1 ml/year; FVC = - 30.5 ± 31.2 ml/year vs - 45.2 ± 36.3 ml/year). Lung function decline was primarily associated with higher BMI and OSA symptoms. OSA symptoms had a stronger association with lung function decline among asthmatics, compared to non-asthmatics. Conclusion: In the general population, a high probability of obstructive sleep apnoea was related to faster lung function decline in the previous decade. This was driven by a higher BMI and more OSA symptoms among these subjects. The association between OSA symptoms and lung function decline was stronger among asthmatics. Keywords: Asthma; Lung function; Lung function decline; Sleep apnoea. ; Uppsala University European Union (EU)

Publisher's version (útgefin grein) ; Objectives To compare the prevalence of different insomnia subtypes among middle-Aged adults from Europe and Australia and to explore the cross-sectional relationship between insomnia subtypes, respiratory symptoms and lung function. Design Cross-sectional population-based, multicentre cohort study. Setting 23 centres in 10 European countries and Australia. Methods We included 5800 participants in the third follow-up of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey III (ECRHS III) who answered three questions on insomnia symptoms: difficulties falling asleep (initial insomnia), waking up often during the night (middle insomnia) and waking up early in the morning and not being able to fall back asleep (late insomnia). They also answered questions on smoking, general health and chronic diseases and had the following lung function measurements: forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and the FEV 1 /FVC ratio. Changes in lung function since ECRHS I about 20 years earlier were also analysed. Main outcome measures Prevalence of insomnia subtypes and relationship to respiratory symptoms and function. Results Overall, middle insomnia (31.2%) was the most common subtype followed by late insomnia (14.2%) and initial insomnia (11.2%). The highest reported prevalence of middle insomnia was found in Iceland (37.2%) and the lowest in Australia (22.7%), while the prevalence of initial and late insomnia was highest in Spain (16.0% and 19.7%, respectively) and lowest in Denmark (4.6% and 9.2%, respectively). All subtypes of insomnia were associated with significantly higher reported prevalence of respiratory symptoms. Only isolated initial insomnia was associated with lower FEV 1, whereas no association was found between insomnia and low FEV 1 /FVC ratio or decline in lung function. Conclusion There is considerable geographical variation in the prevalence of insomnia symptoms. Middle insomnia is most common especially in Iceland. Initial and late insomnia are most common in Spain. All insomnia subtypes are associated with respiratory symptoms, and initial insomnia is also associated with lower FEV 1. ; Financial support for ECRHS III: Australia: National Health & Medical Research Council. Belgium: Antwerp South, Antwerp City: Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), grant code G.0.410.08.N.10 (both sites). Estonia: Tartu- SF0180060s09 from the Estonian Ministry of Education. France: (all) Ministère de la Santé. Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique (PHRC) national 2010. Bordeaux: INSERM U897 Université Bordeaux segalen; Grenoble: Comite Scientifique AGIRadom 2011; Paris: Agence Nationale de la Santé, Région Ile de France, domaine d'intérêt majeur (DIM). Germany: Erfurt: German Research Foundation HE 3294/10–1; Hamburg: German Research Foundation MA 711/6–1, NO 262/7–1. Iceland: Reykjavik: The Landspitali University Hospital Research Fund, University of Iceland Research Fund, ResMed Foundation, California, USA, Orkuveita Reykjavikur (Geothermal plant), Vegagerðin (The Icelandic Road Administration (ICERA). The Icelandic Research found - grant no 1 73 701–052. Italy: all Italian centres were funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA, in addition Verona was funded by Cariverona foundation, Education Ministry (MIUR). Norway: Norwegian Research council grant no 214123, Western Norway Regional Health Authorities grant no 911631, Bergen Medical Research Foundation. Spain: Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (PS09/02457, PS09/00716 09/01511) PS09/02185 PS09/03190), Servicio Andaluz de Salud, Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirurgía Torácica (SEPAR 1001/2010). Sweden: all centres were funded by The Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, The Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association, The Swedish Association against Lung and Heart Disease. Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (PS09/02457); Barcelona: Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS PS09/00716); Galdakao: Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS 09/01511); Huelva: Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS PS09/02185); and Servicio Andaluz de Salud Oviedo: Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS PS09/03190). Sweden: all centres were funded by The Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, The Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association, The Swedish Association against Lung and Heart Disease. Swedish Research Council for health, working life and welfare (FORTE); Göteborg also received further funding from the Swedish Council for Working life and Social Research. Umea also received funding from Vasterbotten Country Council ALF grant. Switzerland: The Swiss National Science Foundation (grants no 33CSCO-134276/1, 33CSCO-108796, 3247BO-104283, 3247BO-104288, 3247BO-104284, 3247-065896, 3100-059302, 3200-052720, 3200-042532 and 4026-028099), The Federal Office for Forest, Environment and Landscape, The Federal Office of Public Health, The Federal Office of Roads and Transport, the Canton's Government of Aargan, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Land, Geneva, Luzern, Ticino, Valais and Zürich, the Swiss Lung League, The Canton's Lung League of Basel Stadt/ Basel, Landschaft, Geneva, Ticino, Valais and Zurich, SUVA, Freiwillige Akademische Gesellschaft, UBS Wealth Foundation, Talecris Biotherapeutics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics, European Commission 018996 (GABRIEL), Wellcome Trust WT 084703MA, UK: Medical Research Council (Grant Number 92091). Support also provided by the National Institute for Health Research through the Primary Care Research Network. ; Peer Reviewed

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Files. This article is open access. ; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a commonly reported cause of death and associated with smoking. However, COPD mortality is high in poor countries with low smoking rates. Spirometric restriction predicts mortality better than airflow obstruction, suggesting that the prevalence of restriction could explain mortality rates attributed to COPD. We have studied associations between mortality from COPD and low lung function, and between both lung function and death rates and cigarette consumption and gross national income per capita (GNI). ; National COPD mortality rates were regressed against the prevalence of airflow obstruction and spirometric restriction in 22 Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study sites and against GNI, and national smoking prevalence. The prevalence of airflow obstruction and spirometric restriction in the BOLD sites were regressed against GNI and mean pack years smoked. ; National COPD mortality rates were more strongly associated with spirometric restriction in the BOLD sites (<60 years: men rs=0.73, p=0.0001; women rs=0.90, p<0.0001; 60+ years: men rs=0.63, p=0.0022; women rs=0.37, p=0.1) than obstruction (<60 years: men rs=0.28, p=0.20; women rs=0.17, p<0.46; 60+ years: men rs=0.28, p=0.23; women rs=0.22, p=0.33). Obstruction increased with mean pack years smoked, but COPD mortality fell with increased cigarette consumption and rose rapidly as GNI fell below US$15 000. Prevalence of restriction was not associated with smoking but also increased rapidly as GNI fell below US$15 000. ; Smoking remains the single most important cause of obstruction but a high prevalence of restriction associated with poverty could explain the high 'COPD' mortality in poor countries. ; Wellcome Trust 085790/Z/08/Z ALTANA Aventis AstraZeneca Boehringer-Ingelheim Chiesi ...

Introduction: The study aim was to examine the association of snoring and nocturnal gastro-oesophageal reflux (nGOR) with respiratory symptoms and lung function, and if snoring and/or nGOR associated with a steeper decline in lung function. Methods: Data from the third visit of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) was used for cross-sectional analysis. Pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry was performed, and information on sleep, nGOR and respiratory symptoms was collected (n=5715). Habitual snoring and nGOR were assessed by questionnaire reports. Pre-bronchodilator spirometry from ECRHS I, II and III (20 years follow-up) were used to analyse lung function changes by multivariate regression analysis. Results: Snoring and nGOR were independently associated with a higher prevalence of wheeze, chest tightness, breathlessness, cough and phlegm. The prevalence of any respiratory symptom was 79% in subjects with both snoring and nGOR versus 56% in those with neither (p<0.001). Subjects with both snoring and nGOR had more frequent exacerbations (adjusted prevalence 32% versus 19% among "no snoring, no nGOR", p=0.003). Snoring but not nGOR was associated with a steeper decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s over 10 years after adjusting for confounding factors (change in % predicted -5.53, versus -4.58 among "no snoring", p=0.04) and forced vital capacity (change in % predicted -1.94, versus -0.99 among "no snoring", p=0.03). Conclusions: Adults reporting both habitual snoring and nGOR had more respiratory symptoms and more frequent exacerbations of these symptoms. Habitual snoring was associated with a steeper decline in lung function over time. ; The ALEC Study is funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement number 633212. Funding information for this article has been deposited with the Crossref Funder Registry.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Download ; Objective: Regular physical activity may be associated with improved lung function via reduced systemic inflammation, although studies exploring this mechanism are rare. We evaluated the role of C-reactive protein in blood, which is a common marker of systemic inflammation, on the association of physical activity with forced expiratory volume in one second and forced vital capacity. Methods: Cross-sectional data on spirometry, C-reactive protein levels and self-reported physical activity (yes/no; ≥2 times and ≥1hr per week of vigorous physical activity) were available in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (N = 2347 adults, 49.3% male, 28-56 years-old). A subsample was also assessed 10 years later using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and tertiles of Metabolic Equivalent of Task-minutes per week spent in vigorous, moderate and walking activities were calculated (N = 671, 49.6% male, 40-67 years-old). Adjusted cross-sectional mixed linear regression models and the "mediate" package in "R" were used to assess the presence of mediation. Results: Despite positive significant associations between nearly all physical activity metrics with forced expiratory volume in one second and forced vital capacity, there was no evidence that C-reactive protein levels played a role. An influence of C-reactive protein levels was only apparent in the smaller subsample when comparing the medium to low tertiles of moderate activity (mean difference [95% CIs]: 21.1ml [5.2, 41.9] for forced expiratory volume in one second and 17.3ml [2.6, 38.0] for forced vital capacity). Conclusions: In a population of adults, we found no consistent evidence that the association of physical activity with forced expiratory volume in one second or forced vital capacity is influenced by the level of C-reactive protein in blood. ; European Union ...