Associations between life-course FEV/FVC trajectories and respiratory symptoms up to middle age: analysis of data from two prospective cohort studies.

Background: Life-course lung function trajectories leading to airflow obstruction, as measured by impaired FEV/FVC (forced vital capacity), precede the onset of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to investigate whether individuals on impaired FEV/FVC trajectories have an increased burden of respiratory symptoms, including those who do not meet the spirometric criteria for COPD.

Methods: We analysed serial life-course data from two population-based cohort studies separately, which included respiratory symptoms and spirometry: the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS, Australia) cohort was recruited at age 6-7 years and followed up until middle age (mean age 53 years; range 51-55); and the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA, USA) cohort was recruited at a mean age of 25 years (range 18-30) and followed up to a mean age of 55 years (range 47-64).

Risk factors for antenatal anxiety: a cross-sectional study in field antenatal clinics in Sri Lanka.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the prevalence and factors affecting antenatal anxiety (AA) among Sri Lankan women.

Design: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of first trimester data from a population-based cohort of antenatal women.

Setting: Field antenatal clinics of four field health areas in Colombo District, Sri Lanka.

Use of oral moist tobacco (snus) in puberty and its association with asthma in the population-based RHINESSA study.

Objectives: To investigate the association of early snus use initiation (≤15 years of age) with asthma and asthma symptoms.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort.

Setting: Study centres in Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and Estonia, from 2016 to 2019.

Association of novel adult cough subclasses with clinical characteristics and lung function across six decades of life in a prospective, community-based cohort in Australia: an analysis of the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS).

Background: Cough is a common yet heterogeneous condition. Little is known about the characteristics and course of cough in general populations. We aimed to investigate cough subclasses, their characteristics from childhood across six decades of life, and potential treatable traits in a community-based cohort.

Associations of early life and childhood risk factors with obstructive sleep apnoea in middle-age.

Background And Objective: Early-life risk factors for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are poorly described, yet this knowledge may be critical to inform preventive strategies. We conducted the first study to investigate the association between early-life risk factors and OSA in middle-aged adults.

Methods: Data were from population-based Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study cohort (n = 3550) followed from 1st to 6th decades of life.

Longitudinal risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review.

Despite substantial disease burden, existing evidence on the risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have been derived primarily from cross-sectional studies without determining temporality. Therefore, we aimed to systematically synthesize the literature on longitudinal risk factors for sleep study-assessed OSA and questionnaire-assessed probable OSA from cohort studies in the general adult population settings. We systematically searched Embase and Medline (on OVID) databases.

Association of antenatal anxiety disorders with antenatal comorbidities and adverse pregnancy outcomes among clinic attendees at a tertiary-care hospital in Sri Lanka.

Purpose: Evidence on the association between antenatal anxiety disorders (AADs) and adverse pregnancy outcomes with detection of AADs using the gold-standard is scarce despite being vital to make decisions on interventions. We aimed to determine this association in women attending tertiary-care antenatal clinics in Sri Lanka.

Material And Methods: Presence/absence of AADs in a systematic random sample of 221 antenatal women attending routine antenatal clinics of a teaching hospital who participated in a questionnaire-validation study were confirmed by a psychiatrist.

Association of helminth infestation with childhood asthma: a nested case-control study.

Objectives: The association between helminthiasis and asthma remains inconclusive but can only be investigated in counties where helminthiasis is transitioning from a high to low burden. We investigated this association using data from a childhood respiratory cohort in Sri Lanka.

Methods: A case-control study was nested within a population-based cohort of children aged 6-14 years in Sri Lanka.

Lifetime spirometry patterns of obstruction and restriction, and their risk factors and outcomes: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Interest in lifetime lung function trajectories has increased in the context of emerging evidence that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can arise from multiple disadvantaged lung function pathways, including those that stem from poor lung function in childhood. To our knowledge, no previous study has investigated both obstructive and restrictive lifetime patterns concurrently, while accounting for potential overlaps between them. We aimed to investigate lifetime trajectories of the FEV/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio, FVC, and their combinations, relate these combined trajectory groups to static lung volume and gas transfer measurements, and investigate both risk factors for and consequences of these combined trajectory groups.

The association between traffic-related air pollution and obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review.

Recent evidence suggests that air pollution exposure may be a contributing risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), however, current evidence is conflicting. This systematic review aims to determine the association between air pollution and OSA in the general population, and examine for potential effect modification by seasonality, temperature and humidity. Five full-text articles were included in the review out of 905 articles found by systematically searching PubMed, Embase and Scopus databases.

Nocturnal symptoms perceived as asthma are associated with obstructive sleep apnoea risk, but not bronchial hyper-reactivity.

Background And Objective: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and asthma are associated, and nocturnal breathing difficulty that is usually identified as asthma-like symptoms can be present in both conditions. We investigated how nocturnal asthma-like symptoms (NAS) and bronchial hyper-reactivity (BHR) contribute to the association between OSA risk and current asthma, which is currently unknown but a clinically important question.

Methods: We used data from 794 middle-aged participants in a population-based cohort who provided information on OSA risk (defined by a STOP-Bang questionnaire score of at least 3), current asthma and NAS, and underwent methacholine bronchial challenge testing.

Detecting sleep apnoea syndrome in primary care with screening questionnaires and the Epworth sleepiness scale.

Objective: To examine the utility of apnoea screening questionnaires, alone and in combination with the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), for detecting obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in primary care.

Design, Setting: Prospective validation study in an Australian general population cohort.

Participants: 424 of 772 randomly invited Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study, 6th decade follow-up participants with OSA symptoms (mean age, 52.

Comparison of apnoea-hypopnoea index and oxygen desaturation index when identifying obstructive sleep apnoea using type-4 sleep studies.

The concordance of different indices from type-4 sleep studies in diagnosing and categorising the severity of obstructive sleep apnoea is not known. This is a critical gap as type-4 sleep studies are used to diagnose obstructive sleep apnoea in some settings. Therefore, we aimed to determine the concordance between flow-based apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI ) and oxygen desaturation index (ODI ) by measuring them concurrently.

Physiological markers and multimorbidity: A systematic review.

Background: Multimorbidity is the co-occurrence of two or more diseases in the same individual. One method to identify this condition at an early stage is the use of specific markers for various combinations of morbidities. Nonetheless, evidence related to physiological markers in multimorbidity is limited.

The effect of surgical weight loss on obstructive sleep apnoea: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This review aimed to examine the relationship between surgical weight loss and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) severity (i.e., apnoea-hypopnoea index [AHI]), and how this relationship is altered by the various respiratory events scoring (RES) criteria used to derive the AHI.

Prediction models for the development of COPD: a systematic review.

Early identification of people at risk of developing COPD is crucial for implementing preventive strategies. We aimed to systematically review and assess the performance of all published models that predicted development of COPD. A search was conducted to identify studies that developed a prediction model for COPD development.

Validity of the Berlin questionnaire in detecting obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

We aimed to systematically review the Berlin questionnaire as a screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases, reviewed articles reporting the Berlin questionnaire's diagnostic utility as measured against type-1 polysomnography, and performed meta-analyses where possible. Thirty five eligible articles showed that the Berlin questionnaire's diagnostic utility varied by study population, definition of hypopnea used, and apnea-hypopnea index threshold used.

Sleep apnoea in Australian men: disease burden, co-morbidities, and correlates from the Australian longitudinal study on male health.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnoea is a common disorder with under-rated clinical impact, which is increasingly being recognised as having a major bearing on global disease burden. Men are especially vulnerable and become a priority group for preventative interventions. However, there is limited information on prevalence of the condition in Australia, its co-morbidities, and potential risk factors.

Current evidence on prevalence and clinical outcomes of co-morbid obstructive sleep apnea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review.

The objective of this systematic review is to synthesize the evidence on prevalence, polysomnographic findings and clinical outcomes of co-morbid obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - known as the "overlap syndrome". We systematically searched PubMed on 1 December 2015 using appropriate medical subject headings (MeSH) and text words to capture prevalence studies and comparative studies of any observational design examining the clinical outcomes in patients with co-existent COPD and OSA. We reviewed 591 articles and included 27 in the final review.

Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in the general population: A systematic review.

With this systematic review we aimed to determine the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults in the general population and how it varied between population sub-groups. Twenty-four studies out of 3807 found by systematically searching PubMed and Embase databases were included in this review. Substantial methodological heterogeneity in population prevalence studies has caused a wide variation in the reported prevalence, which, in general, is high.