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Characteristics and health burden of the undiagnosed population at risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in China

Authors :
Marco Koch
Thomas Butt
Wudong Guo
Xue Li
Yirong Chen
Diana Tan
Gordon G. Liu
Source :
BMC Public Health, Vol 19, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2019)
Publication Year :
2019
Publisher :
BMC, 2019.

Abstract

Abstract Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in China. However, identifying patients has proved challenging, resulting in widespread under-diagnosis of the condition. We examined the prevalence of COPD diagnosis and COPD risk among adults in urban mainland China, the factors associated with having a COPD diagnosis or COPD risk, and the healthcare resource use and health outcomes of these groups compared with controls. Methods Respondents to the 2017 National Health and Wellness Survey in China (n = 19,994) were classified into three groups: ‘COPD Diagnosed’, ‘COPD Risk (undiagnosed)’, and Control (unaffected), based on their self-reported diagnosis and Lung Function Questionnaire (LFQ) score. The groups were characterised by sociodemographic, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), productivity impairment, and healthcare resource use. Pairwise comparisons (t tests and chi-squared tests) and multivariable regression analyses were used to investigate factors associated with being at risk of, or diagnosed with, COPD. Results 3320 (16.6%) respondents had a suspected risk of COPD but did not report receiving a diagnosis. This was projected to 105.3 million people, or 16.9% of adult urban Chinese. Of these respondents with an identified risk, only 554 (16.7%) were aware of COPD by name. Relative to those without COPD, those with a risk of COPD (undiagnosed) had significantly greater healthcare resource use, lower productivity and lower HRQoL not only compared to those without COPD, but also compared to people with a COPD diagnosis. Factors associated with increased odds of being at risk of COPD were older age, smoking, alcohol consumption, overweight BMI, occasional exercise, higher comorbidities, asthma diagnosis, being female, lower education, not being employed, and living in a high pollution province (p

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
14712458
Volume :
19
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
BMC Public Health
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.8333c0605d47a288a5621dce6fed5c
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-8071-8