Obstructive Lung Disease among Patients Performing Spirometry in a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Obstructive lung disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide which causes economic and social burdens. Spirometry is a standard test for screening and evaluating patients with symptoms of chronic respiratory diseases and is the investigation of choice for identifying airflow obstruction. Chronic obstructive lung disease prevalence, mortality, and morbidity vary across different countries. The study aimed to find out the prevalence of obstructive lung disease among the patients performing spirometry in a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the pulmonary function test clinic of the Department of Internal Medicine of a tertiary care hospital between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022 from hospital records. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 200320203). Convenience sampling was done. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. Results: Among 401 patients, obstructive lung disease was present in 173 (43.14%) (38.29-47.99, 95% Confidence Interval). The mean age was 55.78±18.54 years. The most common symptom for referral was dyspnea seen in 151 (87.30%). Conclusions: The prevalence of obstructive lung disease in our study was higher compared to other studies from the similar setting. Spirometry should be used more frequently for diagnosis and to stratify patients for appropriate treatment.