Researchers have identified a total of four cases of newborn babies with COVID-19 infection in China. In all cases the babies experienced only mild symptoms with none requiring intensive care or mechanical ventilation according to research published in in the European Respiratory Journal. [1] The study was carried out by Dr Zhi-Jiang Zhang and colleagues […]
Category: Respiratory
The world faces an air pollution ‘pandemic’. Researchers say people’s lives are shortened by an average of nearly three years worldwide from different sources of air pollution
Air pollution is responsible for shortening people’s lives worldwide on a scale far greater than wars and other forms of violence, parasitic and vector-born diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and smoking, according to a study published in Cardiovascular Research [1]. Professors Jos Lelieveld and Thomas Münzel, of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the […]
E-cigarette user found to have rare form of lung scarring typically found in metal workers — European Respiratory Society warns against vaping for smoking cessation
Researchers studying a patient with a rare lung disease called hard-metal pneumoconiosis say the disease was probably caused by vaping. The condition creates an unusual and distinctive pattern of damage to the lungs that results in breathing difficulties. It is typically diagnosed in people who work with “hard metals”, such as cobalt or tungsten, in […]
Uncontrolled asthma attacks during pregnancy increase health risks for mothers and babies
Women with asthma who suffer severe symptoms while they are pregnant face higher risks of health problems both for themselves and their babies compared to women with well-controlled asthma, according to research published in the European Respiratory Journal [1]. The study, which included data on more than 100,000 pregnancies, showed that women with asthma who […]
Cardiologists establish how e-cigarettes damage the brain, blood vessels and lungs
Cardiologists have issued a stark warning about the dangers of e-cigarettes, particularly for young people, as results of new research show the damage they cause to the brain, heart, blood vessels and lungs. The study, which is published in the European Heart Journal [1], also identifies some of the mechanisms involved, for which there has […]
Study provides first evidence that fat accumulates in the lungs of overweight and obese people
Researchers have shown for the first time that fatty tissue accumulates in the airway walls, particularly in people who are overweight or obese. Scientists already know that people who are overweight or obese are more likely to suffer with wheezing and asthma, but the reasons for this have not been completely explained. The new study, […]
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome face higher risk of breathing difficulties
Madrid, Spain: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are more likely to develop poor respiratory health based on lung function tests, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress. [1] PCOS affects how a woman’s ovaries work because of a hormone imbalance. It can cause irregular periods, infertility and variety of other […]
Cheap, quick test identifies pneumonia patients at risk of respiratory failure or sepsis
Madrid, Spain: Spanish researchers in Valencia have identified specific fragments of genetic material that play a role in the development of respiratory failure and sepsis in pneumonia patients. Presenting the research at the European Respiratory Society International Congress [1], Dr Francisco Sanz said the findings could enable doctors to test quickly for these biological markers […]
One third of patients with severe asthma are taking harmful doses of oral steroids
Madrid, Spain: A third of patients with severe asthma are taking harmful doses of oral steroids, according to a study of several thousand people in The Netherlands, presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress. [1] The majority of these patients could avoid taking oral steroids by improving their adherence to their other asthma medication […]
Treatment with long term, low dose antibiotic could help people born with chronic lung condition
Madrid, Spain: Taking a low dose of the antibiotic azithromycin for six months reduces symptoms for patients with the chronic lung condition primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress. [1] PCD is a rare inherited disease that affects people from birth. It causes coughing, a build-up of […]