
Simple screening could reduce mortality risk in lung diseases
According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a simple screening method can identify people at high-risk of COPD, and thus deaths from common lung diseases can be reduced. The US team of researchers said that their study in Nepal, Peru and Uganda from January 2018 to March 2020 among 10,709 men and women aged at least 40 years old found that people at high-risk of COPD could be identified in 7-8 minutes using a questionnaire either alone or in combination with an instrument that measures how fast a person can breathe out air. The research team also expressed hopes of this questionnaire being useful to patients worldwide, especially poorer countries, and the feasibility of administering could translate into more screening of COPD, with faster results.