SUNDAY 3rd may, 2015 – UWI TODAY
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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 andmeasures 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 BOLDTT (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 fromGlaxoSmithKline
(GSK), Novartis and support from the Central Statistical
Office (CSO).The study is endorsed byTheThoracic 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.
REsearch
A bold study
The Burden Of Obstructive Lung Disease
B y F a l l o n L u t c h m a n s i n g h
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 onCOPD” was based on a study
looking for the most often cited works. The most
frequently citedwere 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.
For more information on
BOLD TT
Study you can email us at
or The Adult Medicine Unit, Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, FMS, UWI at 663-4332.
See
for more information.
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