Lung Health and the Microbiome Among Adults in Botswana: the Go-hema Cohort

Chronic respiratory diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are responsible for millions of deaths each year, the majority of which occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). LMICs also have high rates of abnormal lung function, including restrictive spirometric pattern (RSP), which can precede the development of chronic respiratory diseases and is associated with all-cause mortality. Additionally, LMICs in sub-Saharan Africa are home to the majority of the world's population of people with HIV (PWH). HIV increases the risk of COPD and COPD associated mortality, but the mechanisms underlying this risk are incompletely understood.