Prevalence and Risk Factors of Airflow Limitation in a Mongolian Population in Ulaanbaatar: Cross-sectional Studies

The burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is expected to increase in the coming decades and became a growing concern in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. However, the COPD prevalence in Ulaanbaatar is currently unknown. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of airflow limitation and investigate the association between airflow limitation and putative risk factors in the Mongolian population. Five cross-sectional studies were carried out in Ulaanbaatar. Administration of a self-completed questionnaire, body measurements, and medical examination including spirometry were performed in 746 subjects aged 40 to 79 years living in Ulaanbaatar.

The age-standardized and sex-standardized prevalence of airflow limitation in Ulaanbaatar varied widely from 4.0% to 10.9% depending on the criteria for asthma. The age-standardized and sex-standardized prevalence of airflow limitation in Ulaanbaatar varied widely from 4.0 to 10.9% depending on the criteria for asthma. The study also showed that lower BMI was one of the independent predictive variables for presenting airflow limitation, suggesting that low BMI is strongly associated with COPD development.