Chronic Respiratory Diseases Media Backgrounder
What are Chronic Respiratory Diseases?
Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRD) include a wide range of treatable, and in some cases, preventable respiratory diseases from asthma, respiratory allergies and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to occupational lung diseases and pulmonary hypertension.
What causes CRD?
The most important risk factors for preventable CRD are[1]:
• Tobacco smoking
• Indoor air pollution
• Outdoor pollution
• Allergens
• Occupational risks and vulnerability
CRD Statistics
• 1 in 6 people suffers from chronic respiratory diseases[2][3][4]
• More people die from CRD than from AIDS every year2
o 4 million people die from CRDs each year
• According to the latest WHO estimates,[5] currently:
o 300 million people have asthma
o 210 million people have COPD
o Over 80 million have allergic rhinitis and other often-underdiagnosed CRD
Key Asthma Facts[6]
• Asthma is a chronic disease of the bronchial, the air passages leading to and from the lungs.
• It is the most common chronic disease among children.
• Most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries.
• In Europe alone, almost 30 million people suffer from asthma[7] and in Western Europe the prevalence of asthma has doubled over the last decade[8]. The mean prevalence of clinical asthma in Western Europe is 5.9%7.
Key COPD Facts
• COPD is characterized by limited airflow in the lungs, which interferes with normal breathing[9].
• COPD can be described as an “umbrella” disease as it includes both chronic bronchitis and emphysema9. In people with chronic bronchitis, the airways are narrowed, tight, swollen and are often filled with mucus, resulting in reduced airflow[10]. In emphysema, air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs are damaged and overstretched, resulting in air being trapped in the lungs, limiting the space for air exchange10.
Key COPD Facts (continued)
• COPD can steadily worsen over time and is not fully reversible9. Patients often experience exercise limitations that make daily activities, such as climbing stairs, increasingly difficult9.
• COPD is a leading cause of death globally[11] and is projected to be 3rd largest cause by 2020[12].
• The primary cause of COPD is tobacco smoke (including second-hand smoke)9.
• COPD is not curable, but treatment can slow the progression of the disease9.
Key Allergy Facts
• An allergy is a hypersensitivity reaction initiated by immunological mechanisms[13],[14].
• More and more people are developing allergic diseases and it is estimated that, by 2015, one in two Europeans is likely to suffer from at least one form of allergy[15].
• Several hypotheses to explain the increasing prevalence are discussed such as the evolution of the “western lifestyle”, the hygiene hypothesis, genetics, and environment changes[16].
Important Dates
• World COPD Day – November 18, 2009
• World Asthma Day – May 4, 2010
[1] World Health Organization, Chronic Respiratory Diseases http://www.who.int/respiratory/en/, accessed 18 May 2009
[2] Bousquet J, Khaltaev N. Global surveillance, prevention and control of Chronic Respiratory Diseases. A comprehensive approach. Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases. World Health Organization. ISBN 978 92 4 156346 8. 2007:148 pages
[3] Bousquet PJ, Leynaert B, Neukirch F, Sunyer J, Janson CM, Anto J, et al. Geographical distribution of atopic rhinitis in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey I. Allergy. 2008 Oct;63(10):1301-9
[4] Weinmayr G, Forastiere F, Weiland SK, Rzehak P, Abramidze T, Annesi-Maesano I, et al. International variation in prevalence of rhinitis and its relationship with sensitisation to perennial and seasonal allergens. Eur Respir J. 2008 Nov;32(5):1250-61
[5] World Health Statistcis. Geneva, World Health Organizations, 2008 http://www.who.int/whosis/whostat/2008/en/index.html
[6] WHO Asthma Fact Sheet, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs307/en/index.html, Accessed 22 May 2009
[7] Global Initiative for Asthma. The Global Burden of Asthma Report 2004
[8] The European Lung White Book: The First Comprehensive Survey on Respiratory Health in Europe 2003.
[9] World Health Organization. Factsheet No 315 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs315/en/index.html (accessed 13 November 2008).
[10]NHBLI. What is COPD? http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Copd/Copd_WhatIs.html (accessed 11 March 2009).
[11] World Health Organization. Factsheet No 310 Top ten Causes of Death. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs315/en/index.html (accessed 16 April 2009).
[12] Mathers C, Loncar D. Projections of global mortality and burden of disease from 2002 to 2030. PLoS Medicine 2006, e442.
[13] Johansson SGO, Bieber T, Dahl R, Friedmann PS, Lanier BQ, Lockey RF, Motala C, Ortega Martell JA, Platts-Mills TAE, Ring J, Thien F, Van Cauwenberge P, Williams HC. Revised nomenclature for allergy for global use: Report of the Nomenclature Review Committee of the World Allergy Organization, October 2003. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2004; 113: 832-836.
[14] Johansson SGO, O’B Hourihane J, Bousquet J, Bruijnzeel-Koomen C, Dreborg S, Haahtela T, Kowalski ML, Mygind N, Ring J, van Cauwenberge P, van Hage-Hamsten M, Wüthrich B. A revised nomenclature for allergy. An EAACI position statement from the EAACI nomenclature task force. Allergy 2001; 56:813-824.
[15] GA2LEN, Global Disease, http://www.ga2len.net/index.cfm?action=viewPublicPage&pageID=2004, accessed 22 May 2009
[16] GA2LEN, The research needs, http://www.ga2len.net/index.cfm?action=viewPublicPage&pageID=1810, accessed 22 May 2009