Chronic obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in non-smoking Sri Lankan adults; a cross-sectional study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) among non-smoking Sri Lanka adults as part of a larger study which assessed the burden of obstructive lung disease (BOLD) in Sri Lanka. RESULTS: The prevalence of COPD among non-smokers was 5.3%, with mild to moderate disease. Among spirometry-diagnosed COPD patients, a higher proportion was females and above age 40. Use of biomass (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.339, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.070-1.821), exposure to passive smoking (OR = 2.376, 95% CI 1.557-3.397) and female sex (OR = 1.353, 95% CI 0.992-1.648) significantly increased the odds of developing COPD and/or related symptoms. Having a chimney, reduced the risk of COPD and/or related symptoms by 29% when cooking with biomass/kerosene.