Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease

COPD prevalence is generally higher than is recognized by health authorities
because prevalence estimates have mostly relied on self-reported
doctor-diagnosis, a notoriously unreliable source of information for COPD.
There is an urgent need for reliable prevalence data obtained from
population-based surveys using carefully standardized methods.

The BOLD initiative is designed to provide a means to collect high-quality,
country-specific data on the prevalence and social and economic burden of
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using strictly standardized,
tested methods. BOLD data will enable governments and the private sector to
make policy decisions on how to provide adequate and appropriate care for those
suffering from COPD.

The initiator of this project is the Kaiser Permanente Centre for Health
Research in Portland, Oregon (USA). Many hospitals in several countries joint
the project. E.g. China, Turkey, Iceland, South-Africa, Austria, Poland,
Norway, Australia, U.K. and Germany. In the Netherlands the University Hospital
in Maastricht will participate in the study.
BOLD is designed primarily as a COPD prevalence survey among
non-institutionalized adults aged older or equal to 40 years. Individuals in
this age range will be asked to complete a questionnaire covering respiratory
symptoms, health status, activity limitation, and exposure to potential risk
factors, such as tobacco smoke.

People are asked to come to the University Hospital in Maastricht or the former
Hospital Annadal once. This visit will approximately take 1 tot 1,5 hours.
They will be interviewed following 5 structured questionnaires regarding
health and habits. They will also be asked to provide measurements of lung
function before and after administration of a short-acting bronchodilator.