Prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its risk factors among residents of Saint Petersburg and Arkhangelsk (based on the RESPECT project)

BACKGROUND: The study of the true prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease remains a significant area of research, as there is still a large gap between the official record of detected cases of the disease and epidemiological data.

AIM: To study the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its risk factors in two cities in the North-West region of Russia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A random sample of respondents (2121 residents of Saint Petersburg, 1012 residents of Arkhangelsk); 2974 received qualitative results of spirometry (including 2388 with a bronchodilator test). The questionnaire included demographic, socioeconomic indicators, and risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

RESULTS: The average age (54.9 ± 9.2 and 52.3 ± 9.2 years) and the proportion of respondents with higher education (37.4% and 29.7%) were higher in Saint Petersburg (compared to Arkhangelsk, p < 0.0001). The proportion of ever smokers (49.5% and 44.4 %, p = 0.008), as well as the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (7.6% and 5.4%, p = 0.044), were higher in Saint Petersburg. In Arkhangelsk, exposure to biomass fuel and occupational hazards were more often noted. The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was higher in smokers and increased with age; the prevalence of smoking and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was higher in men.

CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk factors allows us to better understand not only the prevalence but also the structure and significance of each risk factor in different populations, which will improve the early diagnosis of the disease.