Worldwide burden of COPD in high- and low-income countries. Part II. Burden of chronic obstructive lung disease in Latin America: the PLATINO study [State of the Art Series. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in high- and low-income countries. Edited by G. Marks and M. Chan-Yeung. Number 6 in the series]

• Published in: The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease Vol. 12; no. 7; pp. 709 - 712
• Main Authors: MENEZES, A. M. B, PEREZ-PADILLA, R, HALLAL, P. C, JARDIM, J. R, MUINO, A, LOPEZ, M. V, VALDIVIA, G, PERTUZE, J, MONTES DE OCA, M, TALAMO, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris, France IUATLD 01.07.2008; Union internationale contre la tuberculose et les maladies respiratoires
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; COPD; Cost of Illness; Developed Countries - statistics & numerical data; Developing Countries - statistics & numerical data; Female; Humans; Investigative techniques of respiratory function; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Latin America; Latin America - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Pneumology; Prevention and actions; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - epidemiology; Respiratory Function Tests; Smoking; Spirometry; America; Latin America; Human; Lung disease; Spirometry; Respiratory disease; Tobacco smoking; Developing countries; Exploration; Epidemiology; Morbidity; Latin America; Tobacco; Lung function; respiratory function tests; smoking; Bronchus disease; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Industrialized country; Pneumology; COPD
• ISSN: 1027-3719; 1815-7920

SETTING: Five Latin American cities: São Paulo, Brazil; Mexico City, Mexico; Montevideo, Uruguay; Santiago, Chile; Caracas, Venezuela.OBJECTIVE: To describe the burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Latin America.DESIGN: This is a multicentre study. Post-bronchodilator spirometry was used and the main outcome measure was FEV1/FVC < 0.7 (fixed ratio criterion). Global Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stages were also analysed.RESULTS: The combined population aged ≥40 years in the five countries included in the study was approximately 85.3 million. Of these, it was estimated that 12.2 million have airflow obstruction, which corresponds to our prevalence estimate of 14.3%. The proportion of subjects in Stages II-IV of the GOLD classification was 5.6%. Risk factors presenting the highest aetiological fractions for COPD were age, current smoking, indoor exposure to coal and exposure to dust in the workplace. Smoking, the modifiable factor with the strongest aetiological fraction for COPD, affects 29.2% of adults aged ≥40 years in these cities, corresponding to approximately 25 million smokers in this age group.CONCLUSION: Prevention of smoking and exposure to pollutants, such as coal and dust, are the interventions most likely to succeed against COPD in Latin America. The information obtained by a collaborative study has been vast and encouraging for other similar studies.