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Objective: Low socioeconomic status based both on educational level and income has been associated with asthma and respiratory symptoms, but changes over time in these associations have rarely been studied. The aim was to study the associations between educational or income inequality and asthma and respiratory symptoms among women and men over a 20-year period in northern Sweden. Methods: The study was performed within the Obstructive Lung disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) research program. Mailed questionnaire surveys were administered to a random sample of adults (20-69 years of age) living in Sweden, in 1996, 2006 and 2016. Data on educational level and income were collected from the national integrated database for labor market research. Results: The educational inequality associated with asthma and asthmatic wheeze tended to decrease from 1996 to 2016, while it increased for productive cough, the latter among men not among women. The income inequality decreased for productive cough, especially for women, while no clear overall trends were found for asthmatic wheeze and asthma, apart from a decrease in income inequality regarding asthma among men. Conclusion: The patterns for socioeconomic inequality differed for asthma and wheeze compared to productive cough, and the results emphasize that education and income do not mirror the same aspects of socioeconomic inequality in a high-income country. Our findings are important for decision makers, not the least on a political level, as reduced inequality, e.g. through education, could lead to reduced morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine if exposure to cold environments, during work or leisure time, was associated with increased reporting of airway symptoms in the general population of northern Sweden. Methods: Through a population-based postal survey responded to by 12627 subjects, ages 18–70, living in northern Sweden, the occurrence of airway symptoms was investigated. Cold exposure during work or leisure time was self-reported on numerical rating scales. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the statistical association between cold exposure and airway symptoms. Results: For currently working subjects (N = 8740), reporting any occupational cold exposure was associated to wheeze (OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.1–1.4); chronic cough (OR 1.2; 95% CI 1.1–1.4); and productive cough (OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.1–1.4), after adjusting for gender, age, body mass index, daily smoking, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Leisure-time cold exposure was not significantly associated to reporting airway symptoms. Conclusions: Occupational cold exposure was an independent predictor of airway symptoms in northern Sweden. Therefore, a structured risk assessment regarding cold exposure could be considered for inclusion in the Swedish workplace legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of cough and urinary incontinence on quality of life in women and men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary health care. Background. Existing information on the impact of cough and urinary incontinence on quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is scant. Design. A questionnaire survey. Method. The study included 391 women and 337 men, aged 50-75 years, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A self-administered questionnaire consisted of CCQ and SF-12 questionnaires. A response rate of 66% was obtained. Most patients had been diagnosed with moderate (Stage II) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Results. Women and men with urinary incontinence showed a significantly higher presence of symptomatic cough and phlegm production than did women and men without incontinence. Women with incontinence had a significantly higher burden of CCQ symptoms, functional and mental state than did women without incontinence. Concerning quality-of-life scores, women with incontinence had lower physical state scores (37·6 ± 10·4 vs. 41·4 ± 9·9; p < 0·001) and mental state scores (44·3 ± 10·2 vs. 47·1 ± 10·5; p < 0·007) than did women without incontinence. Men with incontinence had a significantly higher burden of CCQ symptoms and mental state than did men without incontinence. When examining the quality-of-life scores, men with incontinence had lower mental state scores than did men without incontinence (46·0 ± 9·7 vs. 49·8 ± 9·7; p < 0·001). Conclusion. The present results indicate that cough and urinary incontinence lead to poor quality of life in women and men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Relevance to clinical practice. In the context of primary health care, appropriate questions concerning urinary incontinence and quality of life should be included in care plans for women and men living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion. This study was able to present representative data from Sweden as a whole and illuminates the epidemiological background of symptoms of the upper and lower airways. Current regular smokers, compared with non-smokers, had more problems with nasal blockage, cough and asthma. The relationship between the upper and lower airways was confirmed as regards airway symptoms. Background. Epidemiology of common respiratory symptoms is basic information in health care. This study has focused on the prevalence of upper and lower airway symptoms. Patients and methods. A random sample of 1900 age- and gender-stratified adults was recruited from a general population for this study, which included a structured interview about symptoms of nasal secretions and blockage, cough and asthma, and a clinical examination with nasal endoscopy, and peak nasal-inspiratory flow (PNIF). Smoking habits were evaluated by a questionnaire for current and previous smoking. Results. A response rate of 73% was achieved. The prevalence of various symptoms varied between age strata and gender. There was a statistically significant relationship between subjectively experienced nasal blockage and objectively observed nasal congestion. PNIF was negatively related to age and height and was increased in male gender. Smoking was most common among females and related to nasal blockage, cough and asthma, but not to nasal secretions. Significant relationships between the upper and lower airways were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which investigates the association between men and women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and urinary incontinence (UI) with poorer quality of life. A descriptive survey design was used to determine the impact of cough and UI on the quality of life among 391 women and 337 men with COPD. Results indicate that women who had UI had a significant higher burden of symptoms than compared to men who had higher prevalence of cough and phlegm production.