The National Center for
Health Statistics (NCHS), an organizational component of the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has just released its latest report on
the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among American
adults. The report includes details on rates of hospitalization and death, as
well as recent estimates for various subgroups among the nation’s population.
Both COPD and asthma are forms of chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD), the third leading cause of death in the United States in 2008. During the period from 2007 through 2009, 11.8 million adults were diagnosed with COPD.
While asthma has been excluded from the report, as it is a reversible condition, both chronic bronchitis and emphysema are included in the diagnosis of COPD, as these conditions cause progressive difficulty emptying air from the lungs, and can also be associated with cough, mucus production, wheezing, and breathlessness.
Key findings in the report include the stabilization of prevalence of COPD from 1998 through 2009. Prior to this time, the prevalence of COPD increased among women but not in men, as did COPD-related hospitalizations and deaths. In fact, for every three-year period from 1998 through 2009, there were more occurrences among women than men.
From 2007 through 2009, 7.4 million women (6.1 percent) had COPD in comparison to 4.4 million (4.1 percent) men. The increase is believed to be due to an increase in rates of smoking among women that began in the 1940s. Although the number of smokers among men remains to be higher than among women, the report indicates that gap between men and women smokers narrowed through the 1980s.source-healthnews
Both COPD and asthma are forms of chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD), the third leading cause of death in the United States in 2008. During the period from 2007 through 2009, 11.8 million adults were diagnosed with COPD.
While asthma has been excluded from the report, as it is a reversible condition, both chronic bronchitis and emphysema are included in the diagnosis of COPD, as these conditions cause progressive difficulty emptying air from the lungs, and can also be associated with cough, mucus production, wheezing, and breathlessness.
Key findings in the report include the stabilization of prevalence of COPD from 1998 through 2009. Prior to this time, the prevalence of COPD increased among women but not in men, as did COPD-related hospitalizations and deaths. In fact, for every three-year period from 1998 through 2009, there were more occurrences among women than men.
From 2007 through 2009, 7.4 million women (6.1 percent) had COPD in comparison to 4.4 million (4.1 percent) men. The increase is believed to be due to an increase in rates of smoking among women that began in the 1940s. Although the number of smokers among men remains to be higher than among women, the report indicates that gap between men and women smokers narrowed through the 1980s.source-healthnews
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