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By Dr Hetty van Dijk, IPCRG web editor
April 2004
Respiratory symptoms more likely to disappear if you stop smoking
This folk wisdom was recently confirmed by a cohort study from Tomas Eagan and co-workers from Bergen, Norway. According to Dr. Eagan "this is the only study to look simultaneously at the effect on respiratory conditions of smoking cessation and exposure to industrial pollution". Two postal studies among 2819 subject, with an interval of eleven years, established the prevalence of various types of cough, shortness of breath and wheezing. The study also recorded the usual demographic data (sex, age, educational level), subjects' smoking status and whether it changed over time, and any occupational exposure to pollution (industrial dust or fumes).
After adjustment the data indicate that the chances of shaking off the typical smoker's ailments of morning cough and throat clearing or chronic cough are multiplied by 6 and 3.5 respectively for subjects who have stopped smoking. Even for productive cough the probability of remission is multiplied by 2.5.
Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome is a common disorder with an estimated prevalence of at least 2 to 4% among middle aged adults, especially common in obesity. Leptin is a substance produced in the adipose tissue and which plays an important role in the control of body weight, but also in reproduction and neuroendocrine signalling. Recent studies could document that there is a relation between sleep apnoea and leptin levels. Bernd M. Sanner and colleagues from Wuppertal, Germany, therefore tested the hypothesis that treatment of the sleep disorder influences leptin levels. Eighty-six patients participated in the study, 59 were treated effectively, 27 ineffectively or not at all. Effective treatment reduced the blood levels of leptin, while they remained unchanged or increased in the other group. Furthermore there was an independent relation between the change of leptin levels with treatment and the degree of improvement of nocturnal respiration. The authors therefore conclude that obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome is not only a condition that worsens quality of sleep, but also a disease with a substantial influence on human's health. Quality of dietary fat is associated with allergies
In a German study, performed by a multidisciplinary group of researchers led by Joachim Heinrich, it was shown that the quality of dietary fat is associated with the risk of hay fever and allergic sensitization, but not atopic eczema and bronchial hyperreactivity. The associations were most pronounced for increased intake of monounsaturated fatty acids and oleic acids in relationship with hay fever and allergic sensitization in women. Apart from allergenic food and the exposure to aeroallergens also non-allergenic dietary factors might be involved in the development of hay fever and allergic sensitization. How clean are your lungs?
The airways that conduct air into and out of the lung contain secretions -mucus- that trap inhaled particles. These are removed from the lung by a process called mucociliary clearance that moves the mucus, dead cells and inhaled particles and microorganisms towards the throat from where they are swallowed. Patients with respiratory disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) typically have more secretions and products of infections in their airways. Mucociliary clearance, an important component of lung function, has usually been measured using a technique that determines the rate of removal of inhaled radiolabelled aerosols from the lung, but can only be carried out in medical facilities that have specialised equipment. Lucy Morgan and colleagues from Concord, Australia, developed a simpler technique that uses a much lower dose of radioactivity, take much less time and equipment and can be used in any nuclear medicine department. The new technique involves injecting a small volume (0.1ml) of fluid through the cricothyroid membrane just below the trachea, after applying anaesthetic cream. The fluid contains albumen spheres labelled with radioactive technetium that are deposited in the trachea. Their movement towards the larynx is detected and measured with a gamma camera. After a 15 minute period of observation the rate of mucociliary clearance can be calculated. The technique causes minimal discomfort.
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