Investigating asthma comorbidities: a systematic scoping review protocol.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Asthma is a common long-term disorder with a number of related comorbid conditions, which may affect asthma outcomes. There is a need for greater appreciation for understanding how these comorbidities interact with asthma in order to improve asthma outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To systematically identify and map out key asthma comorbidities. METHODS: We will systematically search the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO and Google Scholar. Additional literature will be identified by searching the reference list of identified eligible studies and by searching the repositories of international conference proceedings, including ISI Conference Proceeding Citation Index, and ZETOC (British Library). DISSEMINATION: The findings from this systematic scoping review will be reported at scientific meetings and published in a peer-reviewed journal.