THE BURDEN OF LUNG DISEASE (BOLD) STUDY

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a growing cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and accurate estimates of the prevalence of this disease are needed to anticipate the future burden of COPD, target key risk factors, and plan for providing COPD-related health services.

The BOLD (Burden of Lung Disease) initiative is collecting country-specific data on the prevalence, risk factors and social and economic burden of COPD. It uses strictly standardized, tested methods like spirometry and test with bronchodilatator. BOLD will provide governments and the voluntary and private sectors with country-specific evidence on which to develop policy for both disease prevention and the provision of adequate and appropriate care for those suffering from COPD. 

COPD prevalence is generally underestimated all over the world 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. Also very important to evaluate COPD risk factors and investigate variation across countries by age, sex, and smoking status. 

Dr. Alexandru Corlateanu (BOLD Moldova), Professor Peter Burney (UK, Imperial College of London) Principal Investigator of Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study, Dr. Bernet Kato (BOLD Research Associate, UK) and Dr. Bandar Salah Noory (BOLD Sudan)

Professor Peter Burney from the National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College of London is a Principal Investigator of the BOLD study. BOLD is multinational study of prevalence of COPD, BOLD was organized and completed in many countries: UK, USA, India, Turkey, Estonia, Germany, also many countries now in progress with BOLD study: Albania, Algeria, Gabon, Nigeria, etc.

Dr. Olga Corlateanu (BOLD Moldova), Louisa Gnatiuc (BOLD Study Co-ordinator, UK) and Dr. Alexandru Corlateanu (BOLD Moldova) at the BOLD training at Imperial College of London, UK

We are proud that Moldova was accepted as a new site for BOLD study. Our team participated at BOLD training at Imperial College of London this June with teams from Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Malawi. 
We are sure that after one year of BOLD study we will obtain important data about prevalence of COPD in Moldova and also impact of risk factors on development of COPD and it economic burden. We are very exited to get the first data about the prevalence of COPD in Moldova!