One in ten people in the world has a chronic cough.

How did you come to NELA?

I came back from rehab and stopped smoking straight away. From one day to the next, without any support - just bang: that's it! Then I searched the internet for information on how to breathe better again. That's when I came across the online breathing tutorials of Nico Lorenz. He had recommended NELA, and so I took part in a study.

How have you been involved in NELA so far?

NELA was at my home for three days and afterwards I answered questions about it for the NELA team. At first I couldn't believe how interested they were in my answers and in my whole COPD story.

We talked several times, always via video call, because I'm stuck here on the North Sea island and can't easily leave because of my COPD. I enjoy it and it also helps me to exchange ideas and contribute to the project.

What do you like about NELA?

With NELA I’ll be able to better see how I am doing overall. l In the future, I can simply share this with my doctor and no longer have to travel halfway around the world for every appointment at the doctor's office. With NELA, I will be able to share this information at a distance.

How are you in contact with the NELA team?

From the very beginning, its been very nice to be in contact with the NELA team. You can always sense the personal interest in the idea of wanting NELA to "help" in dealing with a disease.

We’ve been in contact for several years now and they always get in touch and keep me up to date on the latest developments in the project.

I have also visited them in Berlin to get a personal impression. As a joke, I said, "I already feel like NELA's grandma, as if I have really become part of the NELA family by now."

How have you been involved with NELA so far?

I came into contact with NELA through my doctor and took part in the study to collect cough data. I like the team and that the cough is not seen as a separate symptom, but holistically.

What do you like about NELA?

I think it's a great idea that in the future, you can keep better control of your condition with the help of modern technology. As long as I can do something myself, I can change something myself. That's my motto!

Alpha 1 is the "genetic variant" of COPD, which is inherited and very rare. The effects of emphysema have been with him since he was 35 years old. He has been a staff member and an important part of the NELA team since January 2023.

What motivated you to participate in the NELA study?

Coughing is a part of my life and I want to understand it better.

What was it like participating in the study?

It was a really exciting time, three days of testing with NELA. I am generally a bit sceptical about studies, as I have had a few unpleasant experiences. But not with NELA, because it's just a "cough listener".

What do you hope to achieve with NELA?

With NELA, my family doctor/lung specialist will be able to give me the right therapy earlier and I won’t run the risk of getting a bad exacerbation that will leave me flat in bed for days.

How did you get involved with NELA as a staff member?

Actually, I came into contact with the NELA team for the first time through my participation in this study. We had quite intense conversations afterwards about my experiences with NELA. Today, I am happy to be part of the NELA team and have the task of providing advice and support to the patients.

Why I support NELA as an expert

I have a great vision for NELA: the recording of coughs will be a breakthrough, especially in the treatment of unstable COPD patients, whose prognosis can be expected to take a quantum leap for the better thanks to therapy monitoring with the help of cough quantification!

NELA's products will also be an invaluable aid in the differential diagnosis of the difficult area of chronic cough in the future. We will finally have objective data that will enable us to differentiate between the diverse and often overlapping causes of chronic cough and treat them in a targeted manner.

Why I support NELA as an expert

I support NELA because I believe that objective cough registration closes a large gap between subjective perception and objective measurement data. Therapeutic consequences could be derived from a discrepancy. Furthermore, it is important to objectify the effect of a prescribed therapy. It's like a blood pressure medication. When I prescribe it, I want to know whether the high blood pressure has been reduced.

Why I support NELA as an expert

For many years, I have been working both scientifically and psychotherapeutically on how to improve the psychological well-being and quality of life of people with chronic lung disease and chronic cough in the long term. What particularly excites me about the NELA products is that they offer the opportunity to combine psychological support systems in synergy with innovative medical devices. In the long term, this could have great potential to sustainably improve the treatment of those affected.

Why I support NELA as an expert

My patients' self-efficacy in the management of their chronic illnesses is important to me.

Carepath Technologies is making a valuable contribution here with NELA. Monitoring tools with AI analysis are forward-looking therapy supporters, especially for the leading symptom, cough!

Why I support NELA as an expert

I have been working as a GP for 27 years now. I have had and still have many patients with sometimes severe chronic respiratory diseases. I think the idea of recognizing an impending infection in advance and being able to act more quickly is excellent. That's why I'm enthusiastically involved as a consultant doctor from the practice for the practice.