PEFR (Peak Expiratory flow rate)  As a screening tool in women exposed to biomass fuel in rural Maharashtra, India

Dr.Saurabh Singh; Dr.Medha D Bargaje; Dr.Ram B Deoskar; Dr.Anita T Anokar

Volume : V, Issue : X, October - 2016

PEFR (Peak Expiratory flow rate) As a screening tool in women exposed to biomass fuel in rural Maharashtra, India

Dr. Saurabh Singh, Dr. Medha D Bargaje, Dr. Ram B Deoskar, Dr. Anita T Anokar

Abstract :

Background:Around 3 billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires and simple stoves burning biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal. Rationale: Objective of this study was to screen the lung function of non smoking women exposed to biomass fuel for cooking. Methods: 324 rural women were randomly selected within the age group of 18–60 years from 3 different villages. These subjects were interviewed with a standard respiratory questionnaire and their pulmonary functions were estimated using hand held Wright�s Peak Flow meter. Results: Our study estimated that majority of the population studied had abnormal lung function with masked respiratory symptoms. Conclusion: PEFR (Peak expiratory flow rate) is an important tool to screen the population at risk due to biomass fuel exposure at an early stage.