1. World Conference on COPD Patients
María Victorina López Varela
University of Montevideo
Hospital Maciel
Uruguay
Rome, June 2009

2. Cross-sectional multi-site study
COPD: The Latin American Perspective
PROYECTO LATINOAMERICANO DE INVESTIGACION EN OBSTRUCCION PULMONAR
Brasil
Chile
Venezuela
México
Uruguay
PLATINO Menezes
Lancet 2005;
366:1875
Colombia
PREPOCOL Chest 2008; 133:343
Cross-sectional multi-site study
5 LA cities
Population-based
Adults ≥ 40 years old
5571questionnaires
5315 spirometries post BD
758 COPD

3. COPD: The Latin American Perspective
Prevalent

4. COPD: The Latin American Perspective
Risk factors : smoking
biomass exposure

5. COPD: The Latin American Perspective
Under and misdiagnosed

6. COPD: The Latin American Perspective
Under and anaccurate treated

7. COPD: The Latin American Perspective
Frequent exacerbations
Montes de Oca M. et al Chest online
Un n ú
Exacerbations are frequent in COPD patients and related to severity

8. COPD: The Latin American Perspective
Underuse of spirometry

9. COPD: The Latin American Perspective
What are we doing ?
ALAT
Educational
programs /
Courses :
Primary care
Pulmonologists
Awareness :
Campaigns
exist
Patients
Associations
are
growing

10. Smoking bans and cessation programs

11. Conference Summary & Global Mandate
GOALS
Presenting take-home-messages from workshops
Initiating new campaigns on
Increasing awareness (diagnosis, disease, treatment)
Smoking as a major cause
Smoking bans in public
Introducing the four letter abbreviation COPD to the public
White Paper:
Summarizing the findings of this congress and further actions,

12. Conference Summary & Global Mandate AWARENESS
Should be first step to fight COPD
Is low among public and physicians in most regions of the world
Public campaigns and events to inform about COPD have been successfully performed
Must be globally improved by government, health-care givers, patient organizations,

13. Conference Summary & Global Mandate SMOKING PREVENTION
“Tobacco smoking is linked to COPD”
Tobacco smoking is one major cause to develop COPD
Anti-smoking-campaigns and smoking bans are needed to fight COPD
There are wide regions globally where smoking is increasing and not
banned
Public smoking bans can positive influence smokers habit
Smoking cessation can be achieved

14. Conference Summary & Global Mandate
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Regions with:
Lack of diagnosis
Lack of availability or unaffordability of treatment
Prevention of COPD and screening measures to better diagnose disease should be emphasized
Treatment has to be provided by government in areas, where medication is not available or too expensive for patients.