The impact of chronic bronchitis in the U.S.

Last week, we learned about what bronchitis is.  This week, I will discuss the impact of chronic bronchitis: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)  around the world especially the United States.  According to World Health Organization (WHO), COPD affects 65 million of people.  In 2005, 3 million of people died of this disease, which is equivalent to 5% of total death globally.  Although accurate epidemiology data is difficult and expensive to collect, it is a fact that 90% of COPD deaths occurs in low- and middle-income countries.  By 2030, COPD will become the third leading cause of death worldwide (WHO).  Up to this point, you might be convinced that COPD is not a concern in the United States, since we are a high-income country.  We have a world class health care system, we have various campaigns to educate people the consequences of tobacco smoking, which is the primary cause of COPD.  Americans would be more concerned about heart disease and lung cancer.  However, according to the American Lung Association (ALA), COPD is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.  In 2011, 10.1 millions of Americans have diagnosed with chronic bronchitis, which affects people of all ages.  Age 65 and older is the at risk population.  The prevalence of COPD is less than 4% in Washington (Hurry for Washingtonians) and Minnesota, and more than 9% in Alabama and Kentucky.  More women than men died because of COPD.  More than 70,000 women died of COPD in 2011 (ALA).

Besides looking at the general population, I also researched on how chronic bronchitis affects the U.S. military who are active in continuous combat operations.  According to the U.S. Army Medical Department Journal, in a thirteen-year period (2001-2013), the trend in rates of bronchitis was high and then it decreased slightly.  Among the 482,670 incidents of chronic obstructive disease, 57% of it were diagnosis of bronchitis.  However, between 2009 to 2013, the incidence of chronic bronchitis declined 23.6%.  The article did not explain what caused the decline; however, it is a good news.  Based on CDC's data, each American with COPD pay $6000 more for their medical treatment than someone who does not have COPD.

     

Reference:
Abraham, J. H., Clark, L. L., Sharkey, J. M., & Baird, C. P. (2014). Trends in Rates of Chronic Obstructive Respiratory Conditions Among US Military Personnel, 2001-2013. U.S. Army Medical Department Journal, 33-43.

Burden of COPD. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2015, from http://www.who.int/respiratory/copd/burden/en/

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Fact Sheet - American Lung Association. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2015, from http://www.lung.org/lung-disease/copd/resources/facts-figures/COPD-Fact-Sheet.html

Increase Expected in Medical Care Costs for COPD. (2014, July 29). Retrieved January 18, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/features/ds-copd-costs/