Background: COPD is an important public health problem worldwide, and there is a lack of epidemiological data on COPD in high-altitude areas in Sichuan province. Thus, we aimed to investigate the prevalence, risk factors and psychological status of COPD in Hongyuan County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, which is located at an average altitude of 3507 meters.
Methods: The 40 years old or greater permanent residents of Hongyuan County were selected by random sampling method, and the lung function test and questionnaires were conducted to determine the disease situation of COPD. The prevalence of COPD was compared among different factors of investigation, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used for different factors to determine the independent influencing factors of COPD disease.
Results: A total of 456 permanent residents aged 40 years or older in Hongyuan County, 436 qualified for quality control, among which 53 cases confirmed COPD, the total prevalence was 12.16%, among which the prevalence was 14.55% for men and it was 8.07% for women. There were significant differences in different gender, ethnicity, age, smoking status, smoking years, educational level, heating style, history of tuberculosis, and prevalence of BMI (P < 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that age ≥ 60 years (OR = 2.810, 95% CI: 1.0457.557), Han Nationality (OR: 3.238, 95% CI: 1.290– 8.127), the heating method including biofuels (OR: 18.119, 95% CI: 4.140– 79.303) and coals (OR: 6.973, 95% CI: 1.856– 26.200), medical history of pulmonary tuberculosis (OR: 2.670, 95% CI: 1.278– 5.578), the education level including junior high school (OR: 3.336, 95% CI: 1.2259.075), high school and above (OR: 5.910, 95% CI: 1.796– 19.450), and smoking (OR: 10.774, 95% CI: 3.622– 32.051) were independent risk factors for COPD disease. The prevalence of anxiety was 16.98%, and the prevalence of depression was 13.2%.
Conclusion: The prevalence of COPD in Hongyuan County was higher than the national level; age, ethnic group, education, smoking, heating method, and history of tuberculosis are the independent influencing factors of COPD in Hongyuan County. The prevalence of anxiety and depression is low.
Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, prevalence, risk factors, psychological status