Archives: Respiratory Diseases

Released by The Lancet Commission on Reframing NCDs and Injuries for the Poorest Billion (The Lancet NCDI Poverty Commission) in September 2020, this landmark report highlights key findings and recommendations demonstrating the magnitude and pattern of the NCDI burden in several low and low-middle income countries (LLMICs) in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and South Asia as well as emphasizing the disparities existing in care and resources available for NCDs and injuries.

This study examines the cost of organizing integrated nurse-driven, physician-supervised chronic care for more severe NCDs at an outpatient specialty clinic associated with a district hospital in rural Rwanda. This study concludes that high levels of service for severe, chronic diseases are achievable at a relatively low cost for lower income countries.

This article presents findings from the Cameroon Essential Health Intervention Project (CENHIP), which piloted nurse-led clinics at the primary health care level for the management of NCDs, including asthma, epilepsy, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. In addition to the published analysis of the pilot clinics and accompanying nurse training program, the authors include example patient forms and assessment tools that were used through the program.

Released in March 2015, the Empowered Entrepreneur Training Handbook provides training materials designed for women micro-entrepreneurs in building business development and leadership skills to scale the implementation of clean cooking solutions. Addressing household air pollution in low-income countries will reduce the risk of many NCDs and injuries in these settings.

Prepared in January 2011 by the Ministry of Health in Kenya and the Kenya Association for the Prevention of TB and Lung Diseases (KAPTLD), these materials provide tested international clinical guidelines for asthma, adapted for the Kenyan context. While specific to Kenya, these guidelines could be used as a blueprint for similar East African or sub-Saharan Africa countries addressing their local asthma burden.

This article discusses the critical role for locally derived data on NCDs and injuries in low-resource settings in shaping public sector capacity and national policies to effectively address the disease burden in countries like Uganda. In addition to explaining the current status of available NCD data specific to Uganda, the authors describe a few promising NCD initiatives being pursued across the country and propose recommendations for other low and middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Produced as a background report in preparation of a WHO Planning Meeting on the Global Initiative for Treatment of Chronic Diseases held in Cairo in December 2005, this analysis investigates the global price, availability, and affordability of chronic disease medicines for asthma, hypertension, diabetes, epilepsy, and psychiatric disorders. The report also provides national and international policy recommendations.

Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and management for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were developed as a joint effort by the Indian Chest Society and National College of Chest Physicians in India, specifically for the Indian context, given the vast inequalities that exist within the country in terms of availability and affordability of medical services.

This article demonstrates a strategy for assessing the use and acceptability of available brands of clean cookstoves in rural India, taking into account local fuel availability and cultural practices. As the authors suggest, assessing and designing cookstove-related interventions in an effective way could help reduce the risk of NCDs from indoor air pollution.

This article discusses the idea of "fuel poverty" and explains the links between poverty, the lack of access to quality, clean energy sources, and exposure to the ill health effects of indoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution is leading to higher rates of chronic diseases and injuries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia, and these inequalities should be factored into international efforts in both the public health and energy communities.