Prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among urban males in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health problem with increasing prevalence especially in developing countries. Different studies show higher prevalence of COPD among men compare to women across the country. Hence this study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of COPD among men, and to find out the risk factors of COPD among males in Chidambaram. Methods: A community based cross sectional study was done in Chidambaram among males more than 30 years of age. 392 study participants were selected by cluster sampling method. A semi structured questionnaire was used to collect the background information and spirometer was used to measure FEV1 and FVC ratio. Results: The Prevalence of COPD was 15.8% in the study population. Prevalence was significantly higher among older males, smokers and study participants with long duration of ETS and occupational exposure to dust and fumes. Conclusions: There is significant association between COPD and the age, smoking status, long duration of ETS exposure and occupational exposure with p value