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. 2023 Nov 30;12(23):7424.
doi: 10.3390/jcm12237424.

COPD after "Tabouna" Exposure: A Distinct Phenotype in Tunisian Women?

Besma Hamdi  1   2 , Sabrine Louhaichi  1   2 , Mohamed Aymen Jebali  1   2 , Frédéric Schlemmer  3 , Bernard Maitre  3 , Agnes Hamzaoui  1   2
Affiliations

COPD after "Tabouna" Exposure: A Distinct Phenotype in Tunisian Women?

Besma Hamdi et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background: COPD due to exposure to combustible biomass is an increasingly recognized phenotype, particularly among women who use traditional ovens, known as 'Tabouna', for baking bread. This paper aims to investigate the clinical and functional characteristics of COPD in Tunisian female patients attributed to the use of 'Tabouna'.

Methods: A retrospective single-center cohort study was conducted on patients recruited from the Department of Respiratory Disease at A. Mami Hospital, who were diagnosed with COPD between January 2014 and December 2022. The diagnosis of COPD adhered to the standards defined in GOLD 2022.

Results: Out of the 95 women included in the study, 48 (50.5%) were exposed to tobacco smoke, while 47 (49.5%) were exposed to the 'Tabouna'. The median age was 70.4 ± 11.5 years, ranging from 40 to 95 years. Patients exposed to biomass were notably older, with a median age of 75.4 compared to 64.6 (p = 0.04). A significant association was observed between COPD and biomass smoke exposure, both in women residing in rural and urban areas (p = 0.006). The frequency of patients exposed to biomass with comorbidities was higher than in the group exposed to tobacco, but only hypertension showed statistically significant results (p = 0.01). Tobacco smoke induced more impairment in lung function than biomass in the group with FEV1 ≤ 30% (p = 0.04). Long-acting muscarinic antagonists were more commonly prescribed to smokers (p = 0.04). Serious complications such as chronic respiratory failure and intensive care admissions were similar in both groups (p = 0.8 and 0.4).

Conclusions: COPD in women after exposure to the 'Tabouna' was observed in older patients and characterized by delayed diagnosis. Despite these clinical differences, poor COPD outcomes were similar in both groups.

Keywords: COPD; combustible biomass; lung function; never smokers; phenotype; women.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflict of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Tabouna is a traditional method used to bake bread in a mud oven using a wood fire.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A flow chart of the study design.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Total COPD admissions.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Patients’ distribution according to FEV1 value.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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