Risk factors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among rural women, Chittagong, Bangladesh

Rajat S.R. Biswas, Fazlee K Chowdhury

Egyptian Journal of Bronchology 2017 11(3):188-192

Background There are different risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Village women of developing countries such as Bangladesh are at a risk of COPD. Aim The present study was aimed to find risk factors of COPD among rural women of Bangladesh. Patients and methods This observational study was conducted in different villages of Chittagong, Bangladesh, among 250 women who were exposed to different risk factors of COPD Women aged over 40 years were given a questionnaire adopted from a previous prevalence study of COPD in Bangladesh. Spirometry was performed in all subjects. A postbronchodilator ratio of the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) to forced vital capacity (FVC) was calculated among all women who had FEV1/FVC ratio less than 0.70. Women having postbronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio less than 0.70 were diagnosed to have COPD (GOLD criteria). After collection, all data were analyzed by SPSS-20. Results Overall prevalence of COPD in rural women aged over 40 years was 20.4%. Most (76.9%) of them who did not have COPD were in the age group of 40–49 years and those who had COPD were in the age group of 60–69 years (51.0%). A majority (60%) of the women were poorly educated or not educated. Most women were housewives (86.4%). FEV1/FVC ratio significantly reduced in relation with different risk factors of COPD. Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that respiratory distress in family members [odds ratio (OR)=0.633], nature of kitchen (1.206), seasonal variation in cooking (OR=1.245), cough in childhood (OR=0.336), tobacco chewing habit (OR=12.491), type of stove (OR=0.191), history of cough (OR=0.130), and life-time smoking history (OR=0.376) influenced the development of COPD. Lung function also was significantly reduced (P<0.05) among women who were using biomass compared with those using cleaner fuels such as natural gas/liquid petroleum gas. Conclusion In the living conditions existing in the rural areas of Chittagong, Bangladesh, biomass smoke pollution, smoking, and cooking habits are some important risk factors of COPD in rural Bangladesh.

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