MD · DNB
50 MD Respiratory Medicine Thesis Topics
Academic session 2026-2027 · 50 topics
This page lists 50 respiratory medicine thesis topics for postgraduate candidates in India for the 2026-2027 academic session. Respiratory medicine offers spirometry as an objective, reproducible measurement available in every department, and a disease burden — tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, pneumonia — that guarantees recruitment.
The respiratory medicine thesis topics below combine lung function measurement, validated symptom and control questionnaires, radiological assessment and microbiological confirmation. Coverage includes obstructive airway disease, tuberculosis including drug resistance, community acquired pneumonia, interstitial and occupational lung disease, pleural disease, lung malignancy and sleep disordered breathing.
Click any topic to open it in the protocol generator with the title already filled in.
- A cross-sectional study of the clinical profile and severity grading of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseGet protocol
- An observational study of the association between spirometric severity and symptom burden assessed by a validated questionnaireGet protocol
- A comparative study of arterial blood gas parameters between patients with acute exacerbation and stable chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseGet protocol
- A study of the frequency and precipitating factors of exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of comorbidities and their prevalence in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseGet protocol
- An observational study of six minute walk distance and its clinical correlates in patients with obstructive airway diseaseGet protocol
- A study of inhaler technique and its determinants among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of asthma control assessed by a validated instrument among patients attending a chest clinicGet protocol
- An observational study of spirometric reversibility and its association with symptom control in bronchial asthmaGet protocol
- A comparative study of clinical and spirometric features between patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseGet protocol
- A study of treatment adherence and its determinants among patients with bronchial asthmaGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of allergen sensitisation patterns among patients with bronchial asthmaGet protocol
- An observational study of quality of life in patients with bronchial asthma assessed by a validated questionnaireGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the clinical and radiological profile of patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
- An observational study of sputum conversion at the end of the intensive phase in patients on standard antitubercular therapyGet protocol
- A study of the prevalence and pattern of drug resistance among patients with pulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
- A comparative study of cartridge based nucleic acid amplification testing and sputum smear microscopy for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the clinical spectrum of extrapulmonary tuberculosis at a tertiary care centreGet protocol
- An observational study of adverse drug reactions to antitubercular therapy and their managementGet protocol
- A study of diabetes mellitus and its association with clinical severity in patients with pulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of treatment delay and its determinants among patients with pulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the clinical profile and severity assessment of patients admitted with community acquired pneumoniaGet protocol
- An observational study of the microbiological profile of patients admitted with community acquired pneumoniaGet protocol
- Evaluation of a validated severity score in predicting in-hospital outcome in community acquired pneumoniaGet protocol
- A study of the clinical profile and outcome of patients admitted with hospital acquired pneumoniaGet protocol
- A comparative study of radiological resolution and clinical recovery in patients treated for pneumoniaGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the clinical and radiological profile of patients with interstitial lung diseaseGet protocol
- An observational study of pulmonary function abnormalities in patients with connective tissue diseaseGet protocol
- A study of the diagnostic yield of high resolution computed tomography patterns in interstitial lung diseaseGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of respiratory symptoms and lung function among workers with occupational dust exposureGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the aetiology and clinical profile of patients presenting with pleural effusionGet protocol
- An observational study of pleural fluid analysis findings and their diagnostic utility in exudative effusionGet protocol
- A comparative study of pleural fluid adenosine deaminase and cytology in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusionGet protocol
- A study of the outcome of intercostal drainage in patients with pleural collectionsGet protocol
- An observational study of the clinical profile and management of patients presenting with pneumothoraxGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the clinical profile and stage at presentation of patients with lung malignancyGet protocol
- An observational study of the diagnostic yield of bronchoscopic sampling in suspected lung malignancyGet protocol
- A study of the histopathological types of lung malignancy and their association with smoking historyGet protocol
- A comparative study of imaging and bronchoscopic findings in patients with suspected central airway lesionsGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the risk of obstructive sleep apnoea assessed by a validated questionnaire among patients attending a chest clinicGet protocol
- An observational study of polysomnographic findings and their clinical correlates in suspected sleep disordered breathingGet protocol
- A study of the association between obesity and severity of sleep disordered breathingGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of daytime sleepiness and its determinants among patients with respiratory diseaseGet protocol
- An observational study of the diagnostic yield and complications of flexible bronchoscopyGet protocol
- A study of the diagnostic yield of bronchoalveolar lavage in patients with suspected pulmonary infectionGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the indications and findings of pleural biopsy at a tertiary care centreGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of smoking prevalence and nicotine dependence among patients attending a chest clinicGet protocol
- An observational study of the outcome of tobacco cessation counselling over a defined follow-up periodGet protocol
- A study of respiratory symptoms and lung function among individuals exposed to biomass fuel smokeGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the clinical profile and outcome of patients requiring non-invasive ventilation for respiratory failureGet protocol
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More Respiratory Medicine topics on medicalthesistopics.comChoosing a MD Respiratory Medicine thesis topic
Is spirometry a good basis for a respiratory medicine thesis?
It is among the best available. Spirometry is objective, reproducible, standardised by international criteria and already performed in most departments, which means no additional cost and no additional patient burden. Reversibility testing, severity grading and correlation with symptom scores all follow naturally from it, and results are straightforward to defend at examination.
Can a tuberculosis thesis follow patients through treatment?
Partly. The intensive phase and treatment response at two months are achievable within a residency and are commonly studied. Full six-month outcome is possible for a cohort recruited early in the programme, though loss to follow-up under programme conditions is substantial and should be anticipated in the sample size. Cross-sectional studies of presentation, drug resistance pattern and comorbidity avoid the problem entirely.
What sample size is realistic for a respiratory medicine thesis?
Outpatient and admission volumes for obstructive airway disease and tuberculosis are high, so two hundred to three hundred participants over twelve to eighteen months is usually achievable. Interstitial lung disease and lung malignancy present in far smaller numbers, and studies in those areas are generally better framed as descriptive series covering all cases during the study period.
Thesis and protocol questions
How is a thesis topic different from a thesis protocol?
The topic is the title — the question a study sets out to answer, together with the population and the design. The protocol is the full document built around it: background, review of literature, aims and objectives, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample size calculation, methodology, statistical plan, ethics considerations, consent documents and references. A topic is agreed with a guide first; the protocol is written afterwards and submitted to the institutional ethics committee.
When does a postgraduate thesis have to be submitted?
For most Indian postgraduate programmes the protocol is submitted within the first six months of joining, and the completed thesis is submitted at least six months before the final examination. Exact deadlines are set by the university, so the departmental circular for the current session takes precedence over any general timeline.
How is sample size decided for a postgraduate thesis?
Sample size follows from the primary objective, not the other way round. A prevalence study is powered from an expected proportion and an acceptable margin of error; a comparative study is powered from the expected difference between groups, the standard deviation, alpha and desired power. The figure should then be checked against the institution's actual case load for the study period, because a statistically ideal sample that cannot be recruited in the time available is not a workable plan.
Does a thesis topic need ethics committee approval?
Yes. Every postgraduate thesis involving human participants, human data or human samples requires clearance from the institutional ethics committee before data collection begins. Approval is granted on the protocol rather than on the title, and the submission usually includes the protocol, the participant information sheet and the consent form in English and in the local language.
What makes a topic realistic for a three-year postgraduate programme?
A workable topic can be completed at a single centre, with equipment and investigations that are already available in routine practice, within roughly eighteen months of data collection. Topics that depend on external funding, specialised assays, multicentre coordination or long follow-up tend to stall. Choosing a condition the department already sees in volume matters more than choosing a novel one.
Can a thesis be published as a research paper afterwards?
Yes, and it is generally expected. A thesis is usually condensed into a paper of around three to four thousand words, restructured into the standard introduction, methods, results and discussion format, with the review of literature shortened considerably. Journals differ in their requirements, and the ethics approval number from the original thesis is normally cited in the methods section.