Respiratory symptoms among reindeer herders of peninsula Yamal, Far North of Russia

The aim of our study was to assess frequency of respiratory symptoms in reindeer herders, native population of peninsula Yamal.Six hundred reindeer herders (38.3% men) aged 30-54 yrs (mean age 42.2 yr), representing 34.0% of total population, participated in our cross-sectional survey.GARD questionnaire was used to analyze clinical symptoms. Upper airway diseases were excluded by the examination of ENT specialist.Pulmonary function was measured by dry spirometer (SpiroUSB ML 2525 CareFusion, UK) according to ATS/ERS criteria (2005).Response rate to the questionnaire was 97.0%. Eighty six percent of responders had respiratory symptoms.Forty percent of participants were current smokers. Contact with open fire at home had 39% responders and 84% worked at open cold air.Cough, sputum and shortness of breath were found in 25.0% participants.Smokers more often had respiratory symptoms than non-smokers (65% vs 18%, p<0.01).Frequency of respiratory symptoms was the highest (67%) in participants with combination of smoking, contact with open fire at home and cold occupational exposure.Spirometry was normal in all participants. Chronic bronchitis with normal pulmonary function was diagnosed in 25.0%.We concluded that respiratory symptoms and chronic bronchitis are common among native population of tundra.Smoking and its combination with home pollutants and cold occupational exposure may increase risk of respiratory symptoms among the population of Far North.
Source: European Respiratory Journal - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Clinical Problems Others Source Type: research