Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health, Sanatoriumstrasse 2, 1140, Vienna, Austria; Care and Public Health Research Institute, Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health, Sanatoriumstrasse 2, 1140, Vienna, Austria; Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Clinic Penzing, Vienna Healthcare Group, Sanatoriumstrasse 2, 1140, Vienna, Austria.
Respir Med. 2023 Nov;218:107379. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2023.107379. Epub 2023 Aug 17.
Dyspnea is a commonly described symptom in various chronic and acute conditions. Despite its frequency, relatively little is known about the prevalence and assessment of dyspnea in general populations. The aims of this review were: 1) to estimate the prevalence of dyspnea in general adult populations; 2) to identify associated factors; and 3) to identify used methods for dyspnea assessment.
A systematic literature search was conducted using MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, CINAHL and JAMA network. Records were screened by two independent reviewers and quality was assessed by using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for risk of bias in prevalence studies. Multi-level meta-analysis was performed to estimate pooled prevalence. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021275499).
Twenty original articles, all from studies in high-income countries, met the criteria for inclusion. Overall, their quality was good. Pooled prevalence of dyspnea in general adult populations based on 11 studies was 10% (95% CI 7, 15), but heterogeneity across studies was high. The most frequently reported risk factors were increasing age, female sex, higher BMI and respiratory or cardiac disease. The MRC or the modified MRC scale was the most used tool to assess dyspnea in general populations.
Dyspnea is a common symptom in adults in high-income countries. However, the high heterogeneity across studies and the lack of data from low- and middle-income countries limit the generalizability of our findings. Therefore, more research is needed to unveil the prevalence of dyspnea and its main risk factors in general populations around the world.
呼吸困难是各种慢性和急性疾病中常见的描述性症状。尽管它很常见，但人们对一般人群中呼吸困难的患病率和评估方法知之甚少。本综述的目的是：1）估计一般成年人群中呼吸困难的患病率；2）确定相关因素；3）确定用于呼吸困难评估的方法。
使用 MEDLINE/PubMed、Embase、CINAHL 和 JAMA 网络进行系统文献检索。记录由两名独立审查员筛选，使用 Joanna Briggs 研究所的偏倚风险清单评估患病率研究的质量。进行多水平荟萃分析以估计汇总患病率。该方案已在 PROSPERO（CRD42021275499）上注册。
共有 20 篇原始文章符合纳入标准，均来自高收入国家的研究。总体而言，它们的质量很好。基于 11 项研究的一般成年人群中呼吸困难的汇总患病率为 10%（95%CI 7,15），但研究之间存在高度异质性。报告最多的危险因素是年龄增长、女性、更高的 BMI 和呼吸或心脏疾病。MRC 或改良 MRC 量表是评估一般人群呼吸困难最常用的工具。
呼吸困难是高收入国家成年人的常见症状。然而，研究之间的高度异质性以及来自中低收入国家的数据缺乏限制了我们研究结果的普遍性。因此，需要更多的研究来揭示全球一般人群中呼吸困难的患病率及其主要危险因素。
