No abstract

There is a wide variation in the prevalence of reduced FVC based on the reference standard used. This variation is not satisfactorily explained by factors thought to affect FVC within individual populations. However, the prevalence strongly associates with both education level and body mass index in this population, regardless of the specific standard used.

These results indicate a relatively high prevalence of asthma among the students. A greater proportion of them had not been diagnosed and were not receiving proper treatment.

Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a multi-systemic and progressive disease. However the determinants of its impact on health related quality of life are not well-studied or understood in Nigeria. Objectives: To assess the determinants of health related quality of life in COPD Methods: Patients with stable COPD were recruited consecutively from the outpatient clinics of a university hospital. Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) was assessed using the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and the Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1), Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) were measured by a vitalograph spirometer. Results: Fifty patients were recruited for this study (male= 60%). The mean (SD) age was 69 (9) years. The overall mean (SD) SGRQ scores was 45.9 (26.5), 50.6 (29.2), 29.7 (19.9), 38.8 (22.0) for the symptom, activity, impact and total scores respectively. After adjusting for age, sex and smoking, self-reported breathlessness independently predicted on average 25.2, 36.8, 13.65 and 22.9 points increase in SGRQ symptom, activity, impact and total scores respectively. Self-reported weight loss predicted 12.2 points increase in the impact subscale. Conclusions: Self-reported breathlessness and weight loss are independent predictors of low HRQL score in COPD.

This study provides evidence of adverse respiratory effects among street cooks using biomass fuels.