More men die from COPD compared to women

Men across the Asia-Pacific region have consistently higher mortality and hospitalisation rates for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than corresponding rates for women in the region.

This higher rate for men reflects a different risk profile for men and women – in particular the higher prevalence of smoking among men across the Asia- Pacific region.

According to a study in Respirology published by Wiley-Blackwell, the average death rates ranged from 6.4 to 9.2 per 10 000 population for men while the corresponding rates for women only ranged from 2.1 to 3.5 per 10 000 population.

The study entitled “Trends in COPD mortality and hospitalisation in countries and regions of Asia-Pacific” compares rates and trends in rates for COPD mortality and hospital morbidity from Asia-Pacific countries and regions to provide insights into age and gender factors that determine the burden of the disease.

“The global rise of COPD is particularly dramatic in Asia-Pacific where two recognised risk factors for COPD – tobacco smoking and indoor air pollution – are highly prevalent and are significant contributors to death and disease burden. Although there has been some reduction in mortality with the increasing awareness of COPD by health professionals, the COPD mortality and hospitalisation rates in Asian countries are still high when compared to western developed countries”, says Dr. Wan C. Tan from the iCapture Centre, UBC, St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada.

COPD is a serious disease of the lungs where patients become progressively short of breath and require repeated admissions to hospital when they get acute deterioration in their condition.

Dr. Tan added, “The growing burden of COPD in the Asia-Pacific region supports the need for more intensive research and analysis to raise awareness of the disease and its causes. It is also important to reinforce the importance of persistent comprehensive anti-smoking strategies in individuals.”

(Source: Respirology: Wiley-Blackwell: January 2009.)