21 March, 2024
ERS Clinical Research Collaboration ‘CADSET’ has published a paper on lung-function trajectories and introduced a free ‘lung-function tracker’ tool.
Chronic airway diseases early stratification (CADSET) is a pan-European network committed to promoting clinical research in chronic airway diseases.
In their latest paper, ‘Lung-function trajectories: relevance and implementation in clinical practice’, CADSET propose that lung function charts could be used, both for children and adults, to monitor lung growth and lung health status across the life-course. The newly introduced ‘lung-function tracker’ tool will be freely available to everyone.
Lung development starts in utero, continues throughout childhood, and can be altered by several host and environmental factors during the life-course. A range of lung function trajectories exist in the population, and below average trajectories are associated with several health outcomes, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Above normal trajectories, are associated with healthy ageing.
Going forward, CADSET are ready to start addressing the prerequisites and investments needed for potential general lung health programmes measuring spirometry at least once in children, adolescents, and young adults, and repeating it if below average or respiratory symptoms occur at a later stage.