Every year at the ERS Congress, ELF presents abstract awards to acknowledge and commend the work of researchers. These are given for the best patient-centred abstract and the best abstract on a topic linked to the Healthy Lungs for life campaign.
The patient-centred abstract award was given to Joe Newman, for his study, aiming to understand the experiences of people living with pulmonary hypertension to better inform research priorities.
His research focused on a survey of people living with pulmonary hypertension. The study found that many people report having a reduced quality of life, with over 90% experiencing sleep disturbances and nearly two-thirds having negative experiences at work linked to the condition. However, only a minority of people living with pulmonary hypertension have taken part in a clinical trial. The findings suggest they would be more engaged in research if they were invited to take part in trials. Find out more about the research.
Joe is a lung health doctor, PhD student and British Heart Foundation Clinical Research Training Fellow at the Victor Philip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, conducting clinical trials research around pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Joe works closely with patient organisations to develop digital endpoints (measures) for use in trials and is involved with the Pulmonary Hypertension Global Patient Survey. This survey has received responses from patients worldwide, including 88 countries to understand their experiences and perspectives of pulmonary hypertension. It is hoped that these results will help drive an agenda for change and inform health policy.
After presenting the research a number of times, Joe wants to thank those who completed the survey and the patient organisations who distributed it, as well as ELF’s Pulmonary Hypertension Patient Advisory Group who provided feedback.
This year’s Healthy Lungs For Life abstract award was presented to Samuel Cai, for his study titled: ‘Air pollution, genetic susceptibility, and asthma progression to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.’
His research found that the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was higher amongst people living with asthma, when exposed to pollutants including nitrogen dioxide. He also found the risk was 56% higher when people were exposed to particulate matter (chemicals found in the air that can cause problems in the lungs when breathed in.)
Samuel is an environmental epidemiologist, whose research focuses on how environmental risk factors can impact health. Over the past decade, he has worked extensively on air and noise pollution. With a background in medicine, Samuel is keen to explore lung conditions influenced by the environment, as the lungs are one of the organs exposed to air pollution first.
In the future, Sam hopes to further understand how factors associated with climate change, including floods and increased pollen levels, can impact people living with lung conditions. This has the potential to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease by emphasising the health risks and encouraging more action to prevent climate change.
