Researchers reported on the global, regional, and national burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), examining risk factors such as age, sex, and socio-demographics.
Between 1990 and 2019 in 204 countries, data on prevalence, deaths, and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) of COPD, and its attributable risk factors, were pulled from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 project. For each estimate, the counts and rates per 100,000 population were shown.
The global prevalence of COPD cases in 2019 was 212.3 million, making up approximately 3.3 million deaths and 74.4 million DALYs. Denmark, Myanmar, and Belgium had the greatest age standardized point prevalence of COPD, and Egypt, Georgia, and Nicaragua were found to have the greatest increases in age standardized point prevalence throughout the study. It was reported that, globally, the DALY rate of COPD increased in men up to 85 to 89 years of age, followed by a decrease in age advancement, while in women, it was seen to increase to the oldest age group of at least 95 years of age.
The burden of COPD has decreased, but the disease is still a public health concern, particularly for countries that have a low sociodemographic index. The researchers concluded that COPD prevention methods should include those that address smoking cessation, improve air quality, and the reduction of occupation-related exposures.
Reference: Safiri S, Carson-Chahhoud K, Noori M, et al. Burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its attributable risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. BMJ. 2022;378 :e069679 doi: 10.1136/bmj-2021-069679
