Ng’weina Francis Magitta*

Department of Biochemistry, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Mbeya College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, Tanzania

*Corresponding Author: Ng’weina Francis Magitta, Departments of Biochemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, Mbeya College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, Tanzania. E-mail: ngweina.magitta@gmail.com

Received: February 19, 2018; Published: March 27, 2018

Citation: Ng’weina Francis Magitta. “Epidemiology and Challenges of Managing COPD in sub-Saharan Africa”. Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 2.1 (2018).

Abstract

&ndps;&ndps;There is paucity of data on the burden and specific drivers operative in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the African setting and populations. Lack of awareness and inadequate knowledge on the aetio-pathogenesis of the disease together with inadequate capacity for COPD care contributes to preventive and management challenges. Thus, the majority of patients with COPD are misdiagnosed, misclassified and mismanaged or undertreated. With the struggling improvement in the quality of healthcare in Africa, studies conducted over the last 10 years indicates the rising trends in both the risk factors and the burden of COPD. The role of new risk factors such as indoor pollution, infections with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), in the pathogenesis of COPD in Africa is increasingly being recognized. This literature review attempts to collect and synthesize information that could be useful in improving COPD care and informing the governments to take appropriate actions for prevention, diagnosis and management of COPD in Africa.

Keywords: COPD; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Spirometry; Africa

Copyright: © 2018 Ng’weina Francis Magitta. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.