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Approximately half of all smokers will develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with a disease progression over several years before the spirometric threshold for diagnosis is reached.1 There is, therefore, a clear benefit in identifying patients with COPD as early as possible. Early detection, diagnosis and maintenance treatment of COPD, along with smoking cessation and exercise, may help to […]

Pentraxin-2 is a member of the pentraxin family of proteins, which includes C-reactive protein (CRP), pentraxin-2 and pentraxin-3.1–3 When initially discovered and characterized, pentraxin-2 was known as serum amyloid P (SAP) due to its isolation from amyloid deposits in humans; subsequently, SAP was found to be in the sera from circulating blood and, hence, its designation as […]

Paediatric sleep-disordered breathing Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is defined as the disruption of normal respiration and ventilation while asleep.1 SDB encompasses multiple sleep disturbances, ranging from mild snoring to obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).1,2 OSA is characterized by episodic partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway, with associated desaturations, awakenings or arousals from sleep.3 Common symptoms include snoring, nocturnal […]

Chronic cough is a cough that lasts 8 weeks or longer and is not due to serious underlying conditions. It is a common problem in primary care, accounting for up to 40% of referrals to pulmonologists.1 Common causes include rhinosinusitis, cough-variant asthma, eosinophilic bronchitis, smoking, certain medications (including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) and gastroesophageal reflux.2 Once […]

Air pollution has been linked to exacerbating and causing symptoms associated with respiratory diseases, particularly impacting patients with asthma, COPD and allergic disease. touchRESPIRATORY were delighted to speak with Prof. Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann (University in Augsburg, Germany) around the symptoms associated with exposure to air pollution, the impact of air pollution on existing respiratory conditions and […]

Chronic cough, defined as a cough lasting over 8 weeks, has an estimated global prevalence of 10% and has significant detrimental physical, social and psychological consequences on individuals.1,2 Chronic cough is a complex heterogeneous disease, in which many causative factors need to be explored (Figure 1).3 The three most reported associations are rhinosinusitis, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and […]

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare pulmonary syndrome with a prevalence of approximately seven cases per 1 million individuals.1,2 PAP affects people of all age, sex, race and socioeconomic status. Based on the largest population studies conducted in the United States and Japan, the median age for diagnosis in Japan is 51 years with a male:female […]

There is a genuine interest on the part of researchers and the pharmaceutical industry in developing so-called ‘bifunctional’ drugs – that is, single molecules with two different primary pharmacological actions.1,2 In this context, single molecules that are capable of simultaneously inducing bronchodilation and anti-inflammatory activity are a highly intriguing possibility for treating a variety of obstructive […]

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is characterized by recurrent upper airway obstruction precipitating variable degrees of recurrent desaturations, sleep fragmentation and increased autonomic stimulation. As the global burden of obesity continues to rise, so too has the prevalence of OSA.1 Although OSA is known to be more common in men and older adults, it is now recognized […]