Respiratory Disease: Stormy Outlook for Asthma

Overlap Syndrome in Respiratory Medicine: Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are highly prevalent chronic diseases in the general population. Both are characterized by similar mechanisms: airway inflammation, airway obstruction, and airway hyperresponsiveness. However, the distinction between the two obstructive diseases is not always clear. Multiple epidemiological studies demonstrate that in elderly people with o...

Asthma disease management and the respiratory therapist.

The role of the respiratory therapist (RT) is expanding with the growing acceptance and use of the disease-management paradigm for managing chronic diseases. RTs are key members of the asthma disease-management team, in acute-care settings, patients' homes, out-patient clinics, emergency departments, and in the community. Utilizing RTs as disease managers allows patients to be treated faster an...

Stormy weather: a retrospective analysis of demand for emergency medical services during epidemic thunderstorm asthma

OBJECTIVES To describe the demand for emergency medical assistance during the largest outbreak of thunderstorm asthma reported globally, which occurred on 21 November 2016. DESIGN A time series analysis was conducted of emergency medical service caseload between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2016. Demand during the thunderstorm asthma event was compared to historical trends for the overall p...

Nature Outlook Parkinson’s Disease

Climate change and infectious disease: stormy weather ahead?

Extreme weather events are becoming more intense, and are likely to become more frequent as the world climate changes.1,2 For epidemiologists, one important aspect of these trends is their impact on infectious disease. In this issue of EPIDEMIOLOGY, Woodruff et al.3 demonstrate a strong association between heavy rainfall and outbreaks of Ross River virus disease. Ross River virus is mosquito bo...