The topic of the carbon footprint of human activities is one frequently discussed worldwide. There have been conscious efforts across multiple fields, including healthcare, to reduce their carbon footprint. In Canada, 4.6% of greenhouse gases (GHG) are manufactured by the healthcare institutions, ranking it second worldwide. 1,2 The treatments for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) […]

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 serious […]

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease with notable variation in its clinical course and response to treatment. Despite management with standard-of-care therapies, a proportion of patients remain uncontrolled and at risk of life-threatening exacerbations and disease worsening. Advances in understanding the heterogeneity of asthma have helped to identify patients who will benefit from an understanding of […]

Welcome to the latest issue of touchREVIEWS in Respiratory & Pulmonary Diseases, in which we bring you a range of topical and timely articles in the field of lung diseases. In this issue, we begin with an expert interview about lebrikizumab (an anti-interleukin-13 biologic) for asthma. Stanley Szefler describes the clinical trials that have helped […]

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a chronic sinus disease that affects between 5% and 12% of the general population.1–3 Despite substantially impacting the patient’s quality of life, it often remains underdiagnosed and undertreated.1 The European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airway Diseases (EUFOREA) recently published a CRS pocket guide providing a simplified clinical care […]

For over four decades, polls in the USA have demonstrated that nearly 70% of smokers want to quit and 55% of smokers have attempted to quit in the past year.1 Over these decades, despite advances in medications and behavioural treatments, less than 10% of smokers successfully quit.2 Sadly, an estimated 31 million adult Americans continue to smoke and 11 million are e-cigarette users.3,4 […]

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 […]

The natural progression of neuromuscular disease (NMD) inevitably involves respiratory system failure. Increasing respiratory muscle weakness causes worsening hypoventilation, leading to hypercapnia and, eventually, hypoxemia. The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) recently published guidelines on the respiratory management of patients with NMD, who are increasingly presenting at pulmonary clinics.1 Continued improvements in non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (hereafter NIV) are […]

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a widespread disorder that affects millions of individuals worldwide.1 It is characterized by repeated episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep; these episodes can have several negative consequences, including daytime sleepiness, impaired quality of life and an increased risk of developing other health problems, such as hypertension, heart disease and stroke.2 To effectively diagnose and treat OSA, it is essential […]