Respiratory diseases are one of the most common forms of ill-health. They are also a leading cause of hospitalisation and death, especially amongst older people.
Respiratory diseases can affect any of the organs that are involved with breathing. These include the nose, throat, lungs, larynx, trachea and bronchi. Together, these parts of the body are known as the respiratory tract.
At the MRC Clinical Trials Unit we currently have six trials running in the area of respiratory diseases in the UK.
These are MIST2 (Multi-centre Intra-pleural Sepsis Trial), MOSAIC (Multi-centre Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Interventional Cardiovascular Trial), TIME1, TIME2 and TIME3 (Therapeutic Interventions in Malignant Pleural Effusion) and PREDICT (Positive Airway Pressure in Older People).
These trials are being run in partnership with the Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.
