Finding the way through the respiratory symptoms jungle: PAL can help: respiratory Infections Assembly contribution to the celebration of 20 years of the ERS.

摘要

Strikingly, up to one third of all patients attending primary healthcare (PHC) facilities present with respiratory symptoms and are seeking care [1-4]. Underlying causes are wide-ranging, spanning from common cold to pulmonary tumours and their frequencies of occurrence differ widely [1]. Whereas >50% of those seeking respiratory care suffer from acute respiratory infections (ARI) [1], tuberculosis (TB), which is still a deadly killer >125 yrs after the discovery of its causing agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis [5], accounts only for a very small proportion of those consulting with respiratory complaints (often <2%) [1-4, 6, 7]. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma are encountered more often than TB and less frequently than ARI. However, worldwide asthma prevalence has been on the increase in several settings during the past few decades [8]. A common point is that all respiratory diseases, if not diagnosed, treated and managed timely and correctly, are problematic for individuals and public health alike.