Epidemiology: Open Access
Open Access

Abstract

B reathing disorders are worldwide life-threatening conditions that can be caused either by a genetic background or developed during life by air pollution. Lung disease has become the sixth cause of death in Puerto Rico. Currently, there is not an updated record of lung diseases in Puerto Rico. In this study we assess three different lung diseases that affect severely the health of the Puerto Rican population: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), Pulmonary Cystic Fibrosis (PCF) and Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome pulmonary fibrosis (HPS-PF). Puerto Rico has the highest incidence of HPS around the world, with a frequency of one in about 1,800 persons in the northwest of the island. The purpose of the study is to improve the knowledge about lung diseases among health professionals; improve the well-being of patients with lung diseases; and to add valuable information to develop standard measures of health-care for people who suffer of Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF). A cross-sectional study design was used to achieve the purpose of the study and was divided in two stages. The first stage comprehend the statistical analysis needed to assess the prevalence of PF in the Puerto Rican population (IPF, PCF and HPS-PF) and the relation between phenotype-genotype in the onset of pulmonary fibrosis in IPF, PCF and HPS-PF. The second stage comprehend the creation of a registry for IPF, PCF and HPS PF for the Puerto Rican population. Anova test, crude and multiple logistic regression adjusted Odds Ratios (OR) were used as measures of association. The results tabulations still in progress.

Biography

Yeidyly Vergne-Martínez, MPH, DrPH (c), at age 29, is coursing her fifth year of a Doctorate Degree in Epidemiology at the Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Vergne, collaborates as a research assistance in DNA Repair and Breast Cancer Research at the Toxicology Research Laboratory of the PSM & HS. Vergne, has a BS in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus and a MPH from the PSM & HS, where she graduated with honors. In 2009, Yeidyly was awarded Value of the Year in Health, due to her collaboration with the HPS Network, Puerto Rico, Inc.