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Introduction: Contemporary data on the burden of chronic respiratory diseases in sub-Saharan Africa is limited. More so, their economic burden is not well described. This study aims to establish a chronic respiratory disease observatory for Africa. Specific study aims are (1) to describe the prevalence and determinants of asthma with a target to screen up to 4000 children and adolescents across four African cities; (2) to determine the prevalence and determinants of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with a target to screen up to 3000 adults (≥18 years) across five African cities; (3) to describe the disease burden by assessing the frequency and severity of symptoms and exacerbations, medication use, emergency healthcare utilisation and hospitalisation; and (4) to assess the economic burden and affordability of the medicines for these diseases., Methods and Analysis: Surveys will be conducted in schools to identify children and adolescents with asthma using the Global Asthma Network screening questionnaire in Ghana, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda. Community surveys will be conducted among adults using an adapted version of the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease Questionnaire to identify persons with COPD symptoms in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide and pre-bronchodilator and post-bronchodilator spirometry will be done for children with asthma or asthma symptoms and for all adult participants. Children and adults with respiratory symptoms or diagnoses will complete the health economic questionnaires. Statistical analysis will involve descriptive and analytical statistics to determine outcomes., Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical approval has been obtained from participating institutions. This study's results will inform deliberations at the United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases in 2025. The results will be shared through academic conferences and journals and communicated to the schools and the communities., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Chronic respiratory diseases are common in Cape Town, South Africa. Yet the experiences of how adults with these conditions, such as asthma or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), negotiate the health system are poorly understood. Qualitative methodology lends itself to investigate this question., Aim of Study: To explore the "emic" experiences of adults with CRDs in Cape Town when they were negotiating the health system using semi-structured interviews., Methods: Interviews were conducted following informed consent with purposively sampled adults who had attended public hospitals in Cape Town with chronic respiratory disease flare-ups. This work was nested in the quantitative "Diagnosing Airways Disease" study. The topic guide explored patients' experiences of accessing healthcare including receiving and interpretations of the diagnosis and management, and impacts on daily life. Interviews were conducted in Afrikaans, isiXhosa, or English; transcribed, and translated into English and thematically analysed until saturation., Results: Thirty-two interviews (16 in Afrikaans, 8 in isiXhosa, 8 in English) were completed in 2022. 17 women and 15 men participated. Most participants were older than 50 years (25/32), and most were unemployed (13/32) or retired (11/32). The identified themes were: Perceived causes of illness; experiences of healthcare; perceived risks and barriers when accessing healthcare; and impact on earnings. The perceived causes of their illness and risks were structural, and included air pollution, poor quality housing, occupational exposures, limited healthcare services, and fear of violence. These factors led to self-treatment, sharing of medicines, and delay in receiving a diagnosis. Many paid privately for treatments or services to overcome identified shortcomings of the public healthcare system, and many reported additional significant indirect costs. Being ill had a profound impact on income. The identified themes were explored through the lens of "structural violence", where "social structures stop individuals … from reaching their full potential" (Galtung, 1969)., Conclusion: In Cape Town structural elements such as stretched healthcare professionals, insufficiently enforced policies on e.g., housing or work-place exposures, poverty and crime made it difficult for participants to successfully navigate their illness experience. It forced some to pay out of pocket to receive perceived better healthcare privately., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cause a considerable burden of morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Access to safe, effective, quality-assured, and affordable essential medicines is variable. We aimed to review the existing literature relating to the availability, cost, and affordability of WHO's essential medicines for asthma and COPD in LMICs., Methods: A systematic review of the literature was done by searching seven databases to identify research articles published between Jan 1, 2010, and June 30, 2022. Studies on named essential medicines for asthma and COPD in LMICs were included and review articles were excluded. Two authors (MS and HT) screened and extracted data independently, and assessed bias using Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tools. The main outcome measures were availability (WHO target of 80%), cost (compared with median price ratio [MPR]), and affordability (number of days of work of the lowest paid government worker). The study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021281069., Findings: Of 4742 studies identified, 29 met the inclusion criteria providing data from 60 LMICs. All studies had a low risk of bias. Six of 58 countries met the 80% availability target for short-acting beta-agonists (SABAs), three of 48 countries for inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs), and zero of four for inhaled corticosteroid-long-acting beta-agonist (ICS-LABA) combination inhalers. Costs were reported by 12 studies: the range of MPRs was 1·1-351 for SABAs, 2·6-340 for ICSs, and 24 for ICS-LABAs in the single study reporting this. Affordability was calculated in ten studies: SABA inhalers typically cost around 1-4 days' wages, ICSs 2-7 days, and ICS-LABAs at least 6 days. The included studies showed heterogeneity., Interpretation: Essential medicines for treating asthma and COPD were largely unavailable and unaffordable in LMICs. This was particularly true for inhalers containing corticosteroids., Funding: WHO and Wellcome Trust., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests KM is an advisory board member for AstraZeneca. DMGH reports honoraria for lecturing, attending advisory boards, and preparing educational materials from Aerogen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, CSL Behring, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Novartis, Pfizer, and Sanofi. RMH has received funding from the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease to assist with literature searches. BA reports grants from the National Institutes of Health Research; honoraria from GSK, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Cipla Medpro; participation on advisory boards for Cipla Medpro, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals; and support for attending meetings and for travel by Janssen Pharmaceuticals. SS reports honoraria for lectures from Cipla, Glenmark, and GSK. MMdO reports speaker fees from AstraZeneca. All other authors declare no competing interests., (This is an Open Access article published under the CC BY 3.0 IGO license which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In any use of this article, there should be no suggestion that WHO endorses any specific organisation, products or services. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. This notice should be preserved along with the article's original URL.)

BACKGROUND: Persistent respiratory symptoms and lung function deficits are common after patients with TB. We aimed to define the burden of post-TB lung disease (PTLD) and assess associations between symptoms and impairment in two high TB incidence communities. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey of adults in Cape Town, South Africa who completed TB treatment 1-5 years previously. Questionnaires, spirometry and 6-minute walking distance (6MWD) were used to assess relationships between outcome measures and associated factors. RESULTS: Of the 145 participants recruited (mean age: 42 years, range: 18-75; 55 [38%] women), 55 (38%) had airflow obstruction and 84 (58%) had low forced vital capacity (FVC); the mean 6MWD was 463 m (range: 240-723). Respiratory symptoms were common: chronic cough ( n = 27, 19%), wheeze ( n = 61, 42%) and dyspnoea (modified MRC dyspnoea score 3 or 4: n = 36, 25%). There was poor correlation between FVC or obstruction and 6MWD. Only low body mass index showed consistent association with outcomes on multivariable analyses. Only 19 (13%) participants had a diagnosis of respiratory disease, and 16 (11%) currently received inhalers. CONCLUSION: There was substantial burden of symptoms and physiological impairment in this "cured" population, but poor correlation between objective outcome measures, highlighting deficits in our understanding of PTLD.

BACKGROUND: The global burden of disease due to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is substantial and particularly great in low- and middle-income countries, including many African countries. Management is affected by availability of diagnostic tests and essential medicines. The study aimed to explore the availability of spirometry services and essential medicines for asthma and COPD in African countries. METHOD: Questionnaires were delivered to healthcare workers at the annual meeting of the Pan African Thoracic Society Methods in Epidemiology and Clinical Research (PATS MECOR) and International Multidisciplinary Programme to Address Lung Health and TB in Africa (IMPALA). Data were analysed using simple descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 37 questionnaires representing 13 African countries were returned. Spirometry availability was 73.0%. The most common reasons for non-availability were lack of knowledge of the utility of the test. Within the study sample, 33.3% faced sporadic availability due to maintenance issues. Essential medicines availability ranged from 37.8% for inhaled corticosteroid-long-acting beta-agonist inhalers to 100% for prednisolone 5 mg tablets, mainly due to supply chain problems. CONCLUSION: There is varied availability of spirometry and WHO essential medicines for COPD and asthma in African countries. Strategies are needed to improve access to basic effective care for people with non-communicable lung disease in Africa.

Background: Heroin smokers have high rates of COPD, respiratory morbidity, hospital admission, and mortality. We assessed the natural history of symptoms and lung function in this population over time., Methods: A cohort of heroin smokers with COPD was followed for 18 to 24 months. At baseline and follow-up, respiratory symptoms were measured by the Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale (MRC) and the COPD Assessment Tool (CAT), and postbronchodilator spirometry was performed. Frequency of health-care-seeking episodes was extracted from routine health records. Parametric, nonparametric, and linear regression models were used to analyze the change in symptoms and lung function over time., Results: Of 372 participants originally recruited, 161 were assessed at follow-up (mean age, 51.0 ± 5.3 years; 74 women [46%]) and 106 participants completed postbronchodilator spirometry. All participants were current or previous heroin smokers, and 122 (75.8%) had smoked crack. Symptoms increased over time (MRC score increased by 0.48 points per year, P < .001; CAT score increased by 1.60 points per year, P < .001). FEV 1 declined annually by 90 ± 190 mL (P < .001). This deterioration was not associated with change in tobacco or heroin smoking status or use of inhaled medications., Conclusions: Heroin smokers experience a high and increasing burden of chronic respiratory symptoms and a decline in FEV 1 that exceeds the normal age-related decline observed among tobacco smokers with COPD and healthy nonsmokers. Targeted COPD diagnostic and treatment services hosted within opiate substitution services could benefit this vulnerable, relatively inaccessible, and underserved group of people., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Antibiotics are routinely given to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presenting with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) symptoms in primary care. Population prescribing habits and their consequences have not been well-described., Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of antibiotic prescriptions for non-pneumonic exacerbations of COPD from 2010 to 2015 using the UK primary care Optimum Patient Care Research Database. As a proxy of initial treatment failure, second antibiotic prescriptions for LRTI or all indications within 14 days were the primary and secondary outcomes, respectively. We derived a model for repeat courses using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis., Results: A total of 8.4% of the 9042 incident events received further antibiotics for LRTI, 15.5% further courses for any indication. Amoxicillin and doxycycline were the most common index and second-line drugs, respectively (58.7% and 28.7%), mostly given for 7 days. Index drugs other than amoxicillin, cardiovascular disease, pneumococcal vaccination and more primary care consultations were statistically significantly associated with repeat prescriptions for LRTI (p<0.05). The ORs and 95% CIs were: OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.49; OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.66; OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.55 and OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.07, respectively. Index duration, inhaled steroid use and exacerbation frequency were not statistically significant. The derived model had an area under the curve of 0.61, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.63., Discussion: The prescription of multiple antibiotic courses for COPD exacerbations was relatively common-one in twelve patients receiving antibiotics for LRTI had a further course within 2 weeks. The findings support the current preference for amoxicillin as index drug within the limitations of this observational study. Further clinical trials to determine best practice in this common clinical situation appear required., Competing Interests: Competing interests: JDB reports personal fees from Novartis and Teva, personal fees and non-financial support from AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim, and non-financial support from Virginia Commonwealth University and Respiratory Effectiveness Group, outside the submitted work. However, none of these relates to the topic of this submission., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, primarily through exacerbations. Exacerbations are often treated with antibiotics but their optimal course duration is uncertain. Reducing antibiotic duration may influence antimicrobial resistance but risks treatment failure. The objective of this article is to review published literature to investigate whether shorter antibiotic therapy duration affects clinical outcomes in the treatment of asthma and COPD exacerbations. We systematically searched electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, World Health Organisation International Clinical Trial Registry Platform, the Cochrane library, and ISRCTN) with no language, location, or time restrictions. We retrieved observational and controlled trials comparing different durations of the same oral antibiotic therapy in the treatment of acute exacerbations of asthma or COPD in adults. We found no applicable studies for asthma exacerbations. We included 10 randomized, placebo-controlled trials for COPD patients, all from high-income countries. The commonest studied antibiotic class was fluoroquinolones. Antibiotic courses shorter than 6 days were associated with significantly fewer overall adverse events (risk ratio (RR): 0.84, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75-0.93, p = 0.001) when compared with those of 7 or more days. There was no statistically significant difference for clinical success or bacteriological eradication in sputum (RR: 1.00, 95% CI: 0.88-1.13 and RR: 1.06, 95% CI: 0.79-1.44, respectively). Shorter durations of antibiotics for COPD exacerbations do not seem to confer a higher risk of treatment failure but are associated with fewer adverse events. This is in keeping with previous studies in community acquired pneumonia, but studies were heterogeneous and differed from usual clinical practice. Further observational and prospective work is needed to explore the significance of antibiotic duration in the treatment of asthma and COPD exacerbations.