PREVALENCE AND UNDER-DIAGNOSIS OF COPD IN AN OLDER CHINESE POPULATION

 

P Yin, P Adab, CQ Jiang, GN Thomas, TH Lam, H Lam, WS Zhang, XQ Lao, KK Cheng

Department of Public Health & Epidemiology

The University of Birmingham

Edgbaston

Birmingham

B15 2TT

 

Background:
There are few reports of the burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Asian populations. We examined the prevalence of COPD and the extent of undiagnosed disease in an older Chinese population.

Methods:
We used baseline data from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study, an ongoing population-based prospective study of Chinese adults, including 17,563 men and women over the age of 50. The diagnosis of COPD was based on spirometry, using cut-offs from the GOLD guidelines. Undiagnosed COPD was defined by spirometric findings, in the absence of reporting physician diagnosed disease.

Results:
The overall prevalence of COPD was 17.2%, with the majority having mild to moderate disease (GOLD stage I and II). Prevalence was higher in men than women (21.9% vs 15.2%, p<0.0001) and among smokers compared to non-smokers (OR 1.89 95%CI 1.63-2.19 for current smokers). Among never-smokers, the prevalence was 14.8% and they constituted 60% of all COPD cases. Only 8.8% of COPD cases were diagnosed previously.

Conclusions:
COPD is an important health burden in China, with high prevalence and substantial under-diagnosis. The high prevalence of never smokers with COPD in this population presents an important opportunity for examining other risk factors for this disease.

Abbreviations:
COPD=chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CI=confident interval; OR=odds ratio; GOLD=global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease.

 

 

 

Back to Abstracts Menu