Introduction to Respiratory Disease

Respiratory conditions impose an enormous burden on society. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Report 2000, the top five respiratory diseases account for 17.4% of all deaths. Lower respiratory tract infections, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), tuberculosis and lung cancer are among the leading 10 causes of death worldwide. Based partly on demographic changes in the developing world, but also on changes in health care systems, schooling, income, and tobacco use, the burden of communicable diseases is likely to lessen while the burden of chronic diseases including asthma, COPD and lung cancer will worsen because of tobacco use and population aging.

Lung diseases represent a huge health and economic burden to governments throughout the world. They typically kill more people than coronary heart disease and are the most common illness responsible for emergency admissions into hospitals. The most common respiratory disease is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). So far, estimates of COPD have been based primarily on mortality statistics. These provide misleading figures because COPD is underdiagnosed and often not listed as a primary or contributory cause of death.

COPD is the fastest growing cause of death in advanced economies. WHO predicts it will be the third leading cause of death in the developed world by the year 2020 – faster growing than lung cancer, heart disease and strokes. The disease has reached epidemic proportions . It is estimated that up to 600 million people may suffer from COPD worldwide.

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