Increasing burden of COPD in rural India: an example why India warrants primary healthcare reforms. Issue 2 (13th April 2016) - Kalkana, Toshita
India is experiencing a continued increase in burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). With an estimated prevalence of >57 000 000 people suffering from obstructive airway diseases (OADs), by the end of 2016 [1], India is in second place for harbouring the most number of morbidity and mortality cases from OADs, after China. As per the countrywide estimates of the World Health Organization, the COPD morbidity assessed with disability adjusted life years was 690 per 100 000 population in 2004 [2]. This is likely to be enormously high in a country with a population of 1.25 billion. The age standardised death rate of 64.7 per 100 000 population accounts for 20% of the annual worldwide COPD mortality (556 000 out of 2 748 000 cases) [3]. In a recent single-day point prevalence study across India (POSEIDON) study, 14.5% of people had visited a physician for OADs [4]. However, most of the information was obtained from private facilities within urban areas and, therefore, unlikely to reflect the true burden of disease; particularly in rural India where prevalence of COPD is reported to be even higher and is continuously increasing [1]. Similarly, the estimated economic burden of COPD (2010–2011) was more than six billion dollars and expected to rise to eight billion dollars by the end of 2016 [1]. Battle against COPD: time to reinforce the primary healthcare units of rural areas of India to combat lung diseases http://ow.ly/ZAwge