are one of main causes of in HCM City, a study has found.— Illustrative Image (Source: lilyapp.me)HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Indoor pollutants are one of main causes of chronic respiratory
diseases in , a study has found.
The study, part of a
starting in 2012, involved 506 houses with 1,561 occupants
from five types: rented, rural, tube, slum and apartments.
The five-year project
involving Belgium and Vietnamese doctors sought to evaluate the prevalence of
chronic respiratory diseases (CRD), identify the risks factors, and prevent the
disease in Vietnam.
Information on
respiratory health, lung function, residential characteristics, and related CRD
indoor environmental sources was obtained using a standard questionnaire and
spirometry.
There was a 41.9 percent
prevalence of all types of CRD, with only 15.3 percent of patients getting them
medically diagnosed.
The prevalence of CRD
and obstructive syndrome was higher in rural and rental houses than apartments
and tube houses.
Rental houses have a
higher risk of CRD, Olivier Michel of Brugmann University Hospital told a
project conclusion meeting in HCM City on October 20.
CRD risk factors include
cigarette smoke, indoor air pollution, occupational factors, allergens, outdoor
air pollution, poor diet, and tuberculosis sequelae.
Differences in the
indoor environment were found between the house types and it could lead to a
difference in prevalence of CRD in general and obstructive syndrome (COPD and
asthma) in particular.
According to the World
Health Organisation, CRD will be the third biggest cause of mortality by 2030.
Ninety percent of severe
CRD cases are in low-income countries.
HCM City combines all
the risk factors — smokers, poor diet, allergens, occupational factors,
tuberculosis sequelae, parasitoses, and outdoor and indoor air pollution.
Extension of the project
until 2022, started last month, will focus on first-line diagnosis and
treatment, prevention and environmental aspects of CRD, Michel said.
It would seek to improve
the early diagnosis and treatment of CRD at first-line health centres and
improve treatment, he said.
It also aimed at
reducing indoor air pollution and evaluating its impact on the respiratory
health and that of the role of parasitoses in allergic diseases and
disseminating the results nationally.
The project is a great
opportunity to develop interactions, exchanges and transfer of knowledge
between universities in Belgium and Vietnam, Nguyen Tan Binh, director of the
HCM City Department of Health, said.
It has provided
knowledge in both the specific clinical aspects and the causes related to
indoor pollution in Vietnam, leading to potential innovative preventive treatments,
he added.- VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
