Prevalence of obstructive lung patterns and actual spirometric result at different workplaces in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and Aims: Burdens of occupational exposure like insoluble dust particles and chemicals in the respiratory tract leads to impaired clearance. This study aims to assess the prevalence of obstructive lung patterns and actual spirometric result in Ethiopia at different workplaces. Methods: Five electronic databases such as: PubMed, HINARI, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and African Journals Online were searched in studies conducted from 2010 to 2021. In this study, we used STATA 14 software for data analysis and the quality of included studies were appraised using the New Castle Ottawa quality assessment tool. The pooled prevalence of obstructive lung patterns and actual spirometric results were estimated using effect size and standardized mean differences (SMD). Results: A total representative of 3511 participants was included in this study. The pooled prevalence of obstructive lung patterns in occupational exposure at different workplaces was found 13.04% (95% CI: 7.96, 18.12, I2 = 89.2%). On the other hand, the pooled prevalence of obstructive lung patterns in controls was 4.10% (95% CI: 1.86, 6.34, I2 = 76.8%). SMD of spirometric results was significantly decreased in cases as compared to the controls. The SMD of FVC in a litter (L) at 95% of CI: −0.50 (−0.70, −0.30, I2 = 87.7%), SMD of FEV1 in (L) at 95% CI: −0.54 (−0.72, −0.36, I2 = 84.9%), SMD of FEF25%–50% in litter per second (L/s) at 95% of CI: −0.42 (−0.67, −0.17, I2 = 81.9%) and SMD of PEFR in L/s at 95% CI: −0.45 (−0.68, −0.21, I2 = 78.4%) were significantly decreased in cases as compared to the controls. Conclusion: The pooled prevalence of obstructive lung pattern was higher in people who are working at different workplace that generating dusts and chemicals. The SMD of actual spirometric results were reduced in cases than controls. Therefore, to alleviate this problem appropriate preventive measure would be warranted for those people who are working in different dust and chemical generating environments.