André F.S. Amaral

The findings indicate the need for increased awareness about chronic cough and its association with reduced quality of life, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.BackgroundChronic cough (CC) can impact daily life and persist for years. Its prevalence varies globally, but whether quality of life in CC also varies across regions is unknown. This study investigates the association of CC with mental and physical component scores of the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) reflecting health-related quality of life in a multinational study.MethodsWe analysed data from 19 642 adults (≥40 years), recruited between Jan 2, 2003 and Dec 26, 2016 in 31 sites (25 countries) from the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study, who provided information on quality of life and CC. We assessed associations using linear regression, adjusted for confounders, and used random-effects meta-analysis to examine differences by sex and gross national income.FindingsOverall, lower mental (−1.42, 95%CI −2.11 to −0.73; I2=32.7%) and physical (−2.59, 95%CI −3.22 to −1.96; I2=40.1%) health scores were associated with chronic cough. The association between physical health score and CC did not materially differ between sexes or gross national income. In males, physical health seems to be more affected by CC amongst those living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In females, mental health also seems to be more affected by CC amongst those living in LMICs.InterpretationCC impairs health-related quality of life globally. However, it appears that physical health in males and mental health in females living in LMICs may be particularly affected by CC. These findings support the need to consider CC as a target for specific interventions to attenuate its burden on health and the economy.Funding.Wellcome Trust (085 790/Z/08/Z)

ExtractThe relative association of leg length and total height on lung volumes may be important for the clinical assessment of forced vital capacity (FVC) and for understanding critical periods in lung development. The expected size of the FVC in a healthy person generally takes account of their age, sex and size. Most commonly size has been assessed as standing height or standing height squared. Louw et al. suggested that sitting height gave a better assessment of lung function than standing height. [1] Harik-Khan et al. suggested that differences in sitting height explained the difference in lung volumes in European Americans and African Americans, and suggested that this might be explained by the thoracic height being lower relative to total height in African Americans. [2] Krause et al., in a comparison of Danish and Inuit children, also suggested that a lower height-adjusted Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) in Danish children might be explained by shorter limb lengths in the Inuit children. [3] Gunnell et al. showed an association between leg length and both one-second Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1) and FVC in the Scottish Midspan study [4].

The Imperial College Research Fellowship (ICRF) scheme is designed for outstanding early career researchers looking for an opportunity to focus on re...

Evidence of an association between breathlessness and quality of life from population-based studies is limited. We aimed to investigate the association of both physical and mental quality of life w...

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Bronchodilator responsiveness testing is mainly used for diagnosing asthma. We aimed to investigate whether it is associated with progression to chron…

Introduction Previous population-based studies, mainly from high-income countries, have shown that a higher forced vital capacity (FVC) is associated with a lower risk of developing cardiometabolic di...

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“Getting to Imperial is actually a magic key for other opportunities.” As an experienced clinician, Awad Algarni has found that the MSc Cardiovascular and Respiratory Healthcare at the National Heart ...

The European Respiratory Society (ERS) Mid-Career Gold Medal programme honours researchers with an excellent track record and the potential for further outstanding developments in the specific fields ...

Spirometry is used to determine what is “unusual” lung function compared with what is “usual” for healthy non-smokers. This study aimed to investigate regional variation in the forced vital capacit...

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