CGPH FACULTY: Kirk R Smith, John Balmes
DATE OF PUBLICATION: June 2015
REGION: Latin America
REFERENCE: Guarnieri M, Diaz E, Pope D, Eisen E, Mann J, Smith KR, Smith-Sivertsen T, Bruce N, Balmes J. Lung Function in Rural Guatemalan Women Before and After a Chimney Stove Intervention to Reduce Woodsmoke Exposure: Results From RESPIRE and CRECER. Chest. 2015 Jun 11. doi: 10.1378/chest.15-0261.
SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the third most frequent cause of death globally with much of this burden attributable to household biomass smoke exposure in developing countries. As biomass smoke exposure is also associated with cardiovascular disease, lower respiratory infection, lung cancer, and cataracts, it presents an important target for public health intervention. In these young Guatemalan women, there was no association between lung function and early randomization to a chimney stove or personal woodsmoke exposure. Future stove intervention trials should incorporate cleaner stoves, longer follow-up, or potentially susceptible groups to identify meaningful differences in lung function.
ACCESS: Link to Pubmed