Kuwait Obstructive Lung Disease Initiative: KOLD Study

"يهدف البحث إلى قياس نسبة انتشار مرض السدة الشعبية المزمنة في دولة الكويت وقياس نسبة انتشار العوامل المسببة له (مثل التدخين وغيره) مما يساعد صانع القرار في اتخاذ الاجراءات المناسبة واللازمة. وملخص خطوات البحث هي: اختيار عينة عشوائية من المواطنين والمقيمين بدولة الكويت تتكون من 5000 شخص ممن تتعدي أعمارهم 40 عاما واجراء استبيان شامل معهم عن طريق الهاتف ثم اجراء فحص وظائف الرئة ممن تتوفر فيهم أعراض المرض. والنتائج المتوقعة من البحث هي:
1) ستتمكن الدراسة من إعطاء احصائيات دقيقة لنسبة انتشار مرض السدة الشعبية المزمنة في الكويت.
2) التعرف على نسبة انتشار مسببات هذا المرض (التدخين، عوادم البترول، الأخطار المهنية،--).
3) مقارنة نتائج الدراسة بدراسات الدول الأخرى على مستوى العالم."

"COPD is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide; however, it lags behind other major causes of mortality in terms of awareness, diagnosis and treatment. Because of this COPD is placing a significant burden on medical resources worldwide. Global efforts are being made to assess trends in presentation of COPD, as well as assessment and treatment paradigms. Prevalence of COPD is found to be variable worldwide and no all-encompassing diagnostic tool exists as yet; thus, COPD must be considered at a regional level. Currently, no epidemiological study has been carried out on COPD within the Middle East.

The KOLD research protocol will follow that of the BOLD and COLD studies. Our aim is to analyze the nature of COPD in Kuwait, and the dynamic manner of COPD management within Kuwait’s healthcare system. We will investigate the prevalence and risk factors of COPD in Kuwait. Potential differences among Kuwaitis and Expatriates will be analyzed, as well as the effects of living adjacent to oil refineries or working in high-risk environments such as outdoors in the desert. We will identify who is diagnosing COPD, by what methods they arrive at their diagnosis, and which medications are prescribed after diagnosis. We will assess whether the attributes of Kuwait’s healthcare system play a role in delayed or missed diagnoses of COPD, and whether those diagnosed are referred to a pulmonologist. Other pertinent factors such as prevalence of smoking and effects of respiratory symptoms on quality of life will also be assessed.

5000 adults aged forty or over will be randomly identified in a manner reflective of the national Kuwaiti/non-Kuwaiti population distribution, and the age and gender spread within each region. Subjects will be interviewed via CATI (computerized automated telephone interview), and those suspected of having COPD will undergo bronchodilator reversibility testing."