Respiratory health issues in the Asia–Pacific region: An overview

Abstract

The Asia-Pacific region is home to a large heterogeneous population whose respiratory health is influenced by diverse social, economic and environmental factors. Despite this variability, the most prevalent causes of respiratory morbidity and mortality are tobacco smoking, infection, and air pollution. This review aims to summarize current respiratory health issues in the region including smoking-related diseases especially COPD, lung cancer and infectious problems such as pandemic influenza, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, bacterial pneumonia and tuberculosis, as well as the contribution of air pollution to respiratory disease. Published data on trends in the epidemiology and management of respiratory diseases and are summarized; finally, the limitations of available data and projections for the future of respiratory health in the region are discussed.

Validation of the GOLD 2013 classification in predicting exacerbations and mortality in Taiwanese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

“…The majority of patients with smoking-related COPD in Taiwan are men (smoking prevalence for women is < 5 %). 4 In contrast to industrialized countries in the West, COPD morbidity remains malepredominant in Asian countries. 2e4 In addition, the limited number of patients in the Group C and Group D subgroups, especially in the Group C subgroups, limited the ability to find statistically significant associations.…”

Health Impact Assessment of PM10 and PM2.5 in 27 Southeast and East Asian Cities

“…Outdoor air pollution is an important public health problem in Asia (9). The 20 characteristics of Asian populations and societies are different from Western counties (e.g., air pollution levels, city population densities, poverty levels, health status, and nutrition).…”

Practice Patterns for Chronic Respiratory Diseases in the Asia-Pacific Region: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

“…In many areas of the Asia-Pacific region, increasing urbanization and attendant pollution together with the adoption of Western lifestyles have been linked to the increasing prevalence of allergies, asthma [7, 8], and COPD [6, 9, 10]. Additional factors contributing to the prevalence of COPD include the aging of populations and cigarette smoking, household air pollution, and secondhand smoke [6, 10]. However, little research has been done in many countries of the region, particularly relative to the work done in Western Europe and the USA, to understand the burden and practice patterns for these common respiratory diseases.…”