 The Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) initiative is an international standardized protocol for collecting country specific data on the prevalence and burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). BOLD has been conducted in over 45 countries and is currently being conducted in three Caribbean territories: Cuba, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
The World Health Organization recognizes COPD as a common chronic non-communicable disease (CNCD) globally. It is estimated that 65 million people have moderate to severe COPD and more than 3 million people died of COPD in 2005, which corresponds to 5% of all deaths globally. Studies done at four chronic disease clinics in Trinidad showed that the prevalence of COPD was approximately 20%.
COPD is therefore significant in our country but the prevalence and its local burden is still unknown.
The BOLD TT study aims to estimate the prevalence, risk factors and social and economic burden of COPD in Trinidad and Tobago and to develop a projection model for future cases using the BOLD guidelines. Locally these findings will help to improve respiratory healthcare and can help to inform health policy.
Trained research staff will be visiting over 1,200 households, randomly selected by the CSO across Trinidad and Tobago to conduct home visits for the study. The home visits require obtaining signed consent, interviewer administered questionnaires and measures of height, weight and waist circumference and lung function (spirometry) tests.
Testing lung function involves blowing into a machine that measures how fast air can be blown out of the lungs (using a spirometer). This test will be done before and after inhaling a medicine that expands the airways (a “bronchodilator” called salbutamol). All details of the study: participant involvement, any risks associated, use of the data, confidentially, exclusion criteria for lung function tests and communication of test results will be explained to all potential participants before they are asked to give consent.
The home visits began on March 26, 2015, data collection is expected to last 6 months.
There are no participant fees or costs associated with this study, all abnormal test results will be confidentially communicated to the participant and referrals to the respective chest clinics will be issued where necessary. In Trinidad and Tobago, the average cost associated with spirometry testing is TT$ 850.
The BOLD TT (Trinidad and Tobago) Study is a project of the Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, UWI, with funding mainly from the Ministry of Health, GORTT, but also from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Novartis and support from the Central Statistical Office (CSO). The study is endorsed by The Thoracic Society of Trinidad and Tobago and the Thoracic Division of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.
The Principal Investigator is Professor Terence Seemungal, Head, Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, UWI, St Augustine Campus, the Deputy Principal Investigator is Dr. Liane Conyette and Fallon Lutchmansingh is the Study Coordinator.
For more information on BOLD TT Study you can email us at boldstudytt@gmail.com or The Adult Medicine Unit, Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, FMS, UWI at 663-4332.
(See http://www.boldstudy.org for more information.)
 Professor Terence Seemungal, Head of the Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, has been ranked No. 10 in the world in an analysis of the top 100 “most influential papers on COPD.” The article in the International Journal of COPD, “A bibliometric analysis of the 100 most influential papers on COPD” was based on a study looking for the most often cited works. The most frequently cited were published between 1966 and 2010. Professor Seemungal’s article was published in 1998 and at the time of the study had been cited 768 times. The most cited article was published in 2007 and had 2,164 citations.
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