We used meta-analysis to measure the effect of high-altitude climate therapy (HACT) on lung function outcomes in asthma, and systematically searched PubMed, Embase and www.elibrary.ru for publications appearing from 1970 to mid-2015. We included studies carried out with children or adults with an exposure of up to 12 weeks at an altitude of ≥1500 m above sea level. Changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/vital capacity ratio or peak expiratory flow rate as the HACT intervention outcomes were analysed. We included data for 907 participants (age range 4–58 years) from 21 studies, altogether including 28 substrata based on asthma type or severity. Only three of 21 included studies had high quality, whereas 93% of substudies reported lung function improvement with an overall pooled standardised mean difference (SMD) of 0.53 (95% CI 0.43–0.62). The measured effect of HACT was greater in adults (SMD 0.75, 95% CI 0.63–0.88, n=14) than in children (SMD 0.24, 95% CI 0.09–0.38, n=14). Studies at altitude >2000 m above sea level yielded the same effect as those at lower altitude. Based on a cut-point of a 0.50 change in SMD to define a meaningful clinical difference, HACT appears to have efficacy as an intervention. This extent of benefit appears to be limited to adults with asthma.

Background: The Saudi government has taken the decision to prevent the entrance of about 2.5 million international pilgrims seeking to perform hajj in order to protect the world from a catastrophic widespread of disease. Moreover, health systems in Saudi Arabia are offering free testing for residents whether Saudi and non-Saudi. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the spread of COVID-19 associated with preventive measures taken in Saudi Arabia and to develop a detailed COVID-19 prevention strategy as a framework for the Saudi Arabia community. Methodology: Population size and age distributions among the country of Saudi Arabia were taken from the 2020 World Population Prospects. Contact patterns were measured using the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health Statistical Annual Report. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that performing screening tests as early as possible to facilitate the rapid detection of infected cases, fast treatment, and instant isolation for suspected cases is the most definitive rejoinder for public health. Moreover, our study revealed the significance of performing preventive measures in reducing infection and death rates around Saudi Arabia by 27%, while in other countries, it reduced the death rate ranging from 10–73%. This study provides an achievable strategy for prevention and early detection of COVID-19 spread.

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We used meta-analysis to measure the effect of high-altitude climate therapy (HACT) on lung function outcomes in asthma, and systematically searched PubMed, Embase and www.elibrary.ru for publications appearing from 1970 to mid-2015. We included studies carried out with children or adults with an exposure of up to 12 weeks at an altitude of ⩾1500 m above sea level. Changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/vital capacity ratio or peak expiratory flow rate as the HACT intervention outcomes were analysed. We included data for 907 participants (age range 4-58 years) from 21 studies, altogether including 28 substrata based on asthma type or severity. Only three of 21 included studies had high quality, whereas 93% of substudies reported lung function improvement with an overall pooled standardised mean difference (SMD) of 0.53 (95% CI 0.43-0.62). The measured effect of HACT was greater in adults (SMD 0.75, 95% CI 0.63-0.88, n=14) than in children (SMD 0.24, 95% CI 0.09-0.38, n=14). Studies at altitude >2000 m above sea level yielded the same effect as those at lower altitude. Based on a cut-point of a 0.50 change in SMD to define a meaningful clinical difference, HACT appears to have efficacy as an intervention. This extent of benefit appears to be limited to adults with asthma. @ERSpublications High-altitude alpine therapy may be an effective intervention to improve lung function in patients with asthma