The reality of managing asthma in sub-Saharan Africa – Priorities and strategies for improving care

Asthma is the most common non-communicable disease in children and remains one of the most common throughout the life course. The great majority of the burden of this disease is seen in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), which have disproportionately high asthma-related mortality relative to asthma prevalence. This is particularly true for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Although inhaled asthma treatments (particularly those containing inhaled corticosteroids) markedly reduce asthma morbidity and mortality, a substantial proportion of the children, adolescents, and adults with asthma in LMICs do not get to benefit from these, due to poor availability and affordability. In this review, we consider the reality faced by clinicians managing asthma in the primary and secondary care in sub-Saharan Africa and suggest how we might go about making diagnosis and treatment decisions in a range of resource-constrained scenarios. We also provide recommendations for research and policy, to help bridge the gap between current practice in sub-Saharan Africa and Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) recommended diagnostic processes and treatment for children, adolescents, and adults with asthma

The reference site collaborative network of the european innovation partnership on active and healthy ageing

Seventy four Reference Sites of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) have been recognised by the European Commission in 2016 for their commitment to excellence in investing and scaling up innovative solutions for active and healthy ageing. The Reference Site Collaborative Network (RSCN) brings together the EIP on AHA Reference Sites awarded by the European Commission, and Candidate Reference Sites into a single forum. The overarching goals are to promote cooperation, share and transfer good practice and solutions in the development and scaling up of health and care strategies, policies and service delivery models, while at the same time supporting the action groups in their work. The RSCN aspires to be recognized by the EU Commission as the principal forum and authority representing all EIP on AHA Reference Sites. The RSCN will contribute to achieve the goals of the EIP on AHA by improving health and care outcomes for citizens across Europe, and the development of sustainable economic growth and the creation of jobs

The evaluation of asthma and COPD awareness in Turkey (GARD Turkey Project-National Control Program of Chronic Airway Diseases)

Giriş: Önemli mortalite ve morbidite nedeni olan kronik hava yolu hastalıkları gerek sağlık çalışanları gerekse hasta ve yakınları tarafından yeterince bilinmemektedir. Bu nedenle de yeterince teşhis ve tedavi edilememekte ve koruyucu önlemler uygulanamamaktadır. Çalışmamızın amacı "Kronik Hava Yolu Hastalıklarını Önleme Kontrol Programı" çerçevesinde toplumumuzda astım ve kronik obstrüktif akciğer hastalığı (KOAH) farkındalığıyla ilgili bilgilerin değerlendirilmesidir. Materyal ve Metod: Türkiye'de, nüfusu 200'den büyük kentsel ve kırsal yerleşim yerlerinde ikamet eden, 15 yaş üstü erkek ve kadınlar çalışmaya alındı. Katılımcılara astım ve KOAH ile ilgili sorular içeren anket uygulandı. Bulgular: Ülke genelinde, 6000 kent ve 6000 kırsal yerleşim merkezinde olmak üzere, toplam 12.000 kişiye gidilmiş olup, 8527 kişiye ulaşıldı. Çalışmaya anketi başarıyla tamamlayan 4182 (%50.1)'si kadın, 4160 (%49.9)'ı erkek toplam 8342 kişi dahil edildi. KOAH'ın akciğerlerle ilgili bir hastalık olduğu (%49.6), gelişiminde en önemli etkenin sigara olduğu (%51.1) ve korunma ve tedavide ilk seçeneğin sigaranın bırakılması olduğu (%48) yaklaşık her iki kişiden biri tarafından bilinmekteydi. Ancak KOAH'ın tedavi edilebilir bir hastalık olduğu toplumun %25.2'sinde bilinmekteydi. Astımın tüm yaş gruplarında görülebildiği (%80) iyi bilinmekle birlikte astımın kalıtsal bir hastalık olabileceği (%51.1) ve bulaşıcı olmadığı (%58) ortalama her iki kişiden birinde bilinmekteydi. Bununla birlikte astım ilaçlarının bağımlılık yapıp yapmadığı konusunda popülasyonun %55.2'si fikri olmadığını belirtirken, katılımcıların %27'si ilaçların bağımlılık yapmadığını belirtti. Sonuç: Astım ve KOAH ülkemizde yeterli ölçüde bilinmemektedir. Önemli mortalite ve morbidite nedeni olan, iş gücü ve ekonomik kayıplara yol açan bu hastalıklarla ilgili toplum bilincinin oluşması ve bilgi düzeyinin artırılması tedavi başarı oranlarının artırılması açısından önemlidir.Introduction: Although chronic respiratory disorders are important causes of morbidity and mortality, health care workers, patients and caretakers are not well informed about these disorders. Therefore these problems are underdiagnosed and undertreated; also preventive measures are not widely taken. Our aim was to evaluate the knowledge of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Turkey. This study was designed and performed as a Global Alliance Against Respiratory Disorders (GARD) project. Materials and Methods: People greater than 15 years of age who lived in cities with a population of 200 or greater were eligible for the study. A questionnaire including demographic data and questions regarding asthma and COPD was used for the evalution of the participants. Results: 12.000 people were selected (6000 in rural and 6000 in urban areas); 8527 people were reached. 8342 people who completed the questionnaire were included to the study. There were 4182 (50.1%) female and 4160 (%49.9) male subjects. 49.6% of the subjcets knew that COPD is a lung disease, 51.1% indicated that smoking is the most important risk factor for COPD and 48% identified quitting smoking as the most important preventive measure. Every other person had baseline knowledge on COPD. However only 25.2% knew that there are treatment options for COPD. 80% of subjects said astma can be seen in all age groups. 51.1% knew asthma is a genetic disease and 58% said it is not an infectious disease. However when whether asthma medications caused drug dependency only 27% answered as -No- while 55.2% said -They do not know-. Conclusion: Awareness of COPD and asthma seem to be infsufficient among Turkish people. Since these disorders are important causes of morbidity and mortality and have high impact on work and economic loss, it is important to increase knowledge among public

A multicenter randomized trial for the effectiveness of structured discharge and follow-up protocol on readmission rate in COPD patients receiving LTOT/NIV: one-year interim analysis.

28th International Congress of the European-Respiratory-Society (ERS) -- SEP 15-19, 2018 -- Paris, FRANCEGemicioglu, Bilun/0000-0001-5953-4881; Ergun, Recai/0000-0002-6702-9188; Demirci, Nilgun Yilmaz/0000-0001-6160-3778; Akgun, Metin/0000-0003-3404-4274WOS: 000455567101063…European Respiratory So

Knowledge Level of the Primary Healthcare Providers on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Introduction. Awareness of the healthcare providers on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in our country and all over the world, and on pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) which plays an important role in its nonpharmacological treatment will provide effectiveness in diagnosis and treatment of COPD. The present study aimed at determining knowledge level of the healthcare providers about COPD and PR. Materials and Methods. In this cross-sectional study, family practitioners and staff of home-care in central county of Manisa City were applied a questionnaire in order to determine their knowledge level on COPD and pulmonary rehabilitation during the in-service training on “pulmonary rehabilitation, home-care services for the pulmonary diseases, and respiratory exercises.” Results. 65.5% of the healthcare providers responded to the survey. Rate of those correctly knowing at least one of four items was 97.2%. No responder knew all items correctly. Average value for correct answers was 5.30 ± 2.1 (range: 1–10). The physicians, men, and those working in family health centers had higher level of knowledge on COPD compared to nonphysician healthcare providers (p=0.006), women (p=0.002), and those working in other practices (p=0.019), respectively. Conclusion. Knowledge level of the primary healthcare providers on COPD and PR remains inadequate. Dynamic postgraduate training on this topic will be useful in referring the patients to centers giving service for this condition

COVID-19 Pandemic and the Global Perspective of Turkish Thoracic Society

It has been more than 3 months now since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Turkey. Globally, the number of confirmed cases and deaths reached 9,653,048 and 491,128 respectively, as reported by 216 countries by June 27, 2020. Turkey had 1,396 new cases, 194,511 total cases, and 5,065 deaths by the same date. From the first case until today, the Turkish Thoracic Society (TTS) has been very proactive in educating doctors, increasing public awareness, undertaking academic studies, and assisting with public health policies. In the present report, social, academic, and management perspectives of the pandemic are presented under appropriate subtitles. During this critical public health crisis, TTS has once again demonstrated its readiness and constructive stance by supporting public health, healthcare workers, and the environment. This review summarizes the perspective of TTS on each aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic and casts light on its contributions