Prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease in Korea Using Data from the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Abstract

BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. The awareness and treatment rate of the disease are low despite its relatively high prevalence. With the added data, this study aimed to identify changes in prevalence and risk factors of COPD using the data from the 5th KNHNES.MethodsThe subjects of this study were 8,969 individuals aged 40 and older who satisfied suitability and reproducibility for pulmonary function tests. The prevalence, awareness and risk factors of COPD were predicted based on the questionnaires on gender, age, educational level, income level, smoking history, body mass index (BMI) and other COPD related questions.ResultsDiagnosis of COPD was based on the airflow limitation (forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity <0.7) of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria. The prevalence of COPD from 2010 to 2012 was 13.7%, of which 23.3% was men and 6.5% women. The prevalence was on the rise, with 12.2% in 2010, 13.2% in 2011, and 15.5% in 2012. In GOLD stage 1, the percentages of those who had cough or sputum and smoking history were 12.1% and 75.5%, respectively, but only 0.1% was diagnosed with COPD. Even after adjusting for asthma and tuberculosis, men, old age, larger amount of smoking were linked with a higher prevalence of COPD, and obese and higher educational level were associated with a lower prevalence of COPD.ConclusionThe prevalence of COPD in Korea has been increasing every year, and a higher prevalence was associated with male, older age, more amount of smoking, lower educational level and lower BMI.

Changes in the prevalence of COPD in Korea between 2001 and 2011 in the KNHANES data

“…This is the first study to provide a trend in the prevalence of spirometry-based COPD in Korea over 10 years. We showed that the crude prevalence of COPD is increasing, similar to a previous study [15]. The overall age-adjusted prevalence of COPD decreased from 15.6% to 12.3% from 2001 to 2011.…”

Meta-analysis approach to study the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among current, former and non-smokers

“…A recent study found that the prevalence of COPD among current smokers (22.4%) and former smokers (24.6%) were higher than the prevalence among non-smokers (7.0%). Additionally, individuals with ≥20 pack-years exhibited a 3-fold increased prevalence of COPD as compared to non-smoking individuals after adjusting for sex and age [19]. Smoking is the main cause of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and it is estimated that 80–90% of the risk to develop COPD is due to smoking [20].…”

The influence of gender on selected risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases in patients hospitalized in surgical wards: A cross-sectional study

“…29,32,38 Smokers are predisposed to developing HTN, stroke and COPD. 18,19,26,39,40 Smokers with diabetes or the ones having increased blood glucose levels are exposed to a higher risk of complications and premature death. 41 In 2005, the smoking addiction affected 42% of Polish males and 25% of Polish females.…”