The global prevalence of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) will explode by 2050.
- The global prevalence of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is expected to approach 600 million cases by 2050.
- The greatest growth in cases is expected to occur among women and in low- and middle-income countries and regions.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by inflammation of the airways (especially the bronchi).
“The global prevalence of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is expected to approach 600 million cases by 2050, representing a 23% relative growth in the number of people with this lung disease compared to 2020.” This is the worrying conclusion ofa new investigation published in the JAMA.
COPD: why will this lung disease explode by 2050?
“The greatest growth in cases is expected to occur among women and in low- and middle-income countries and regions,” add the authors of the study. “The number of cases among women is expected to increase by 47.1% (compared to a 9.4% increase among men), and the number of cases in low- and middle-income regions is expected to be more than twice as high as that of high-income regions”, they specify.
Reading the report, we also learn that the two main factors in the explosion of COPD cases worldwide are smoking and air pollution (indoor and outdoor).
“Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a respiratory condition associated with a significant health and economic burden worldwide. Previous studies have assessed the current prevalence of COPD worldwide, but to facilitate resource planning and development health interventions, longer-term projections like ours are necessary”, the researchers also explain in their report.
In this study, the bases for calculating the future prevalence of COPD were extracted from a recent meta-analysis published in 2019. Data on COPD risk factors were obtained from the database Global Burden of Disease.
Lung disease: what are the symptoms of COPD?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by inflammation of the airways (especially the bronchi). It causes the thickening of their walls as well as hypersecretion of mucus. The functioning of respiratory cells is then disrupted, which gradually deteriorates the pulmonary alveoli and can lead to emphysema.
On a daily basis, this lung damage is characterized by chronic progressive shortness of breath (first during exercise then in everyday life and at rest), morning sputum as well as frequent then persistent cough.
