Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a world threat

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has killed more than 2.5 billion people annually in the world. According to a study published in The Lancet, this disease will become a major burden with the aging of the world population.

One person dies every 10 seconds from this disease. COPD is the fifth leading cause of death in rich and sixth countries in middle- or low-income countries. According to the World Health Organization, by 2020, COPD can become the third most deadly disease in the world.

In rich countries, 73% of COPD deaths are related to smoking addiction. This ratio is reduced to 40% in low- or middle-income countries.

Tobacco addiction is an important factor in the occurrence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, more than 15% of cases occur in non-smokers.

The study was conducted in more than 20,000 people over the age of 50, including 15,000 who did not smoke. The researchers noted that passive cigarette poisoning caused about 10,000 deaths in China, including 45% of cases due to COPD, other cases due to cardiovascular disease and lung cancer.

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