Blood samples from patients with long COVID who are still suffering from fatigue and shortness of breath after a year show signs of autoimmune disease, according to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal [1]. Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy parts of the body, instead of defending the body […]
Category: Respiratory
Smoking around your young son could raise the risk of asthma for your future grandchildren
Children are more likely to develop asthma if their father was exposed to second-hand smoke when he was a child, according to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal [1]. The study also shows that children’s risk of asthma is even higher if their father was exposed to second-hand smoke and went on to […]
Less invasive treatment for emphysema is as good as more invasive surgery: results from first randomised controlled trial comparing lung volume surgery and bronchoscopic lung volume reduction with valve placement
The first randomised controlled trial to compare two different lung volume reduction procedures for people with emphysema has found that both lead to similar improvements in lung function, breathlessness and exercise capacity. The results from the study of lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) and bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BVLR), presented at the European Respiratory Society […]
Obstructive sleep apnoea linked to increased risk of cancer, a decline in mental processing powers and an increased risk of blood clots
People who suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are at an increased risk of cancer, according to a large study presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Barcelona, Spain [1]. A second study showed that OSA was also linked to a decline in processing powers in the elderly; in particular, those aged […]
Fish oil and vitamin D supplements in pregnancy lower the risk of croup in babies and young children
Babies and children under three years old are less likely to develop croup if their mothers took fish oil and vitamin D supplements during pregnancy, according to new results from a clinical trial. The findings are from a randomised controlled trial – the ‘gold standard’ for medical research – presented at the European Respiratory Society […]
Mobile phone app accurately detects COVID-19 infection in people’s voices with the help of artificial intelligence
AI also being used to develop an app to predict exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to detect COVID-19 infection in people’s voices by means of a mobile phone app, according to research to be presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Barcelona, Spain [1]. The AI […]
Teenagers more likely to vape if their parents smoke
Teenagers whose parents are smokers are 55% more likely to try e-cigarettes, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Barcelona, Spain [1]. In a large study of Irish teenagers, the researchers have also found that the proportion who have tried e-cigarettes has been increasing dramatically [2] and that although boys […]
Study of people exposed to air pollution reveals greater effects on females than males
The impact of breathing diesel exhaust fumes may be more severe for females than males, according to new research that will be presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Barcelona, Spain [1]. Researchers looked for changes in people’s blood brought about by exposure to diesel exhaust. In both females and males, they found […]
Bringing children closer to nature helps improve their lung health
Getting children closer to green spaces as they grow up could improve their lung health, according to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal [1]. The research found that children tended to have better lung function if their exposure to vegetation close to their homes increased in the first ten years of life. Researchers […]
PCOS in mothers is linked to increased risk of health problems in their children
Children born to mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have an increased risk of developing infections, allergies and other childhood illnesses by the age of 13, according to the largest study to investigate this. The study, which is published in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals, looked at 1,038,375 children […]