Lungs don't choose neighbourhoods: inequity's toll on breathing

Extract Chronic respiratory diseases are heterogeneous conditions with distinct causal phenotypes, varying probabilities of adverse outcomes, and frequent coexistence with other noncommunicable chronic diseases. Therefore, these conditions should not be evaluated solely at the individual patient level. In this issue of the European Respiratory Journal, the authors of the CanCOLD study demonstrate that living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods is associated with greater decline in lung function and exercise capacity, and respiratory symptoms [1].