Development Nepal

Development and Stability

Ongoing Research/ Project

I am a biologist and I know TB has a biological manifestation but I realized, who gets TB is determined socially. 

 

Background

 

This summer, I spent three months in Nepal to investigate the risk factor for cataracts and Tuberculosis. I am exploring whether cooking smoke exposure increases the risk of cataracts and tuberculosis. If yes, my interest is to further explore which chemical/pollutants in particular instigate this process, and, how they do so. I am trying to nail down the answer for these questions because in developing countries including Nepal, poor people, particularly women have limited access to treatment of these diseases.  In the case of  tuberculosis,  there is also stigma attached with it. 

 

Biomass fuel smoke and cigarette smoke: Exposure to biomass fuel (mainly firewood and dung) smoke generated during cooking have many similarities to cigarette smoking [1, 2]. Several studies support the association between cigarette smoking and cataract formation[3-5] and tuberculosis. In the case of cataracts some studies have even documented stopping smoking to have correspondingly reduced the risk of cataract formation[6]. Various existing epidemiological studies also provide evidence of an association between cooking smoke and cataract or blindness[7-9] and tuberculosis[10, 11].

Using lens opacity (cataracts) as a biomarker of exposure to biomass smoke in an epidemiological study: Lessons from Nepal

-Amod Pokhrel

amodpokhrel@yahoo.com