Geospatial insights into chronic bronchitis: Evaluating hotspots and environmental factors in MUDHRA-cohort of Mysuru district, India

<h2>Abstract</h2><h3>Background</h3> Geospatial techniques are critical for identifying potential environmental risk factors and implementing effective prevention strategies for chronic diseases. The <b>M</b>ysuru st<b>U</b>dies of <b>D</b>eterminants of <b>H</b>ealth in <b>R</b>ural <b>A</b>dults (MUDHRA)-Cohort was a notable study that systematically investigated the prevalence and risk factors associated with Chronic Bronchitis (CB) in 16 randomly selected villages of Mysuru District between 2006 and 2009. The objective of this study is to spatially visualize the highest prevalence of MUDHRA-CB at village level, and identifying potential environmental risk factors. <h3>Methods</h3> An analysis was conducted on a total of 8457 individuals aged 30 years and older to ascertain the presence of chronic bronchitis symptoms. To assess the prevalence of chronic bronchitis, a door-to-door survey was conducted using international Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study questionnaires. The thematic map of chronic bronchitis burden was generated using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and overlaid on the land use and land cover patterns extracted from Remote Sensing (RS) satellite images. <h3>Results</h3> The thematic map identified Karya village has having the highest prevalence (14.82 %), while there were no reported cases of chronic bronchitis in Alatthuru village. The land use land cover map generated showed the presence of a mine located around 310 m from Karya village. Inhalation of dust particles from the mine operations and wind direction could be attributed to the higher prevalence of chronic bronchitis. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Spatial epidemiological research studies that incorporate RS, GIS, and local field studies may aid in identifying potential environmental factors associated with a higher risk of chronic conditions.