Breathlessness across generations: results from the RHINESSA generation study

Area of Science:

• Respiratory Medicine
• Genetics
• Public Health

Background:

• Breathlessness is a significant global health issue causing suffering and disability.
• While asthma and lung function have known hereditary links, the inheritance of breathlessness itself remains unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential inheritance of breathlessness across generations.
• To analyze the association between parental and offspring breathlessness.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Respiratory Health in Northern Europe, Spain and Australia generation study.
• Analyzed demographics, self-reported breathlessness, asthma, depression, smoking, physical activity, BMI, and spirometry in 1720 parents and 2476 offspring.
• Employed multivariable logistic regression, accounting for clustering within centers and between siblings.

Main Results:

• Parents with breathlessness had a higher likelihood of having offspring with breathlessness (adjusted OR 1.8).
• Independent factors associated with breathlessness in both generations included obesity, smoking, asthma, depression, lower lung function, and female sex.
• The association between parental and offspring breathlessness was not modified by sex.

Conclusions:

• Parental breathlessness is a predictor of breathlessness in offspring, even after adjusting for multiple confounders.
• These findings suggest a hereditary component to breathlessness that warrants further investigation.
• Understanding the genetic basis of breathlessness could lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.