Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is perceived to be a significant cause of incapacity and mortality across the globe. The condition has a significant impact on people of all ages. Learning about the prevalence and risk factors of COPD enhances understanding of the different conditions that enhance the risk of developing the condition and the likelihood of becoming a victim across the different age groups. Such studies provide information about the condition to enhance the understanding of the sickness and how individuals can maintain a lifestyle that protects them from developing it. The studies discussed to provide an in-depth analysis of the risk factors of COPD, the relation that the environment and other respiratory conditions have on the development of the condition, and the burden it has on its victims.
COPD is a common chronic respiratory condition leading to gradual health deterioration with worsening symptoms. According to Safiri et al. (2022), Effective management of its symptoms can lessen the burden and enhance the quality of life of individuals with the condition enabling them to stay longer with the disease. The study shows that the condition is preventable, but once it is established in an individual, it cannot be cured. In the study, COPD is the third most common cause of death worldwide as its prevalence increased by 15.6% from 2007 to 2017 (Safiri et al., 2022). The main risk factors linked to the condition included genetics, infections, ageing, smoking, air pollutants, asthma, malnutrition, and low socioeconomic status. These factors show that individuals can easily contract the infection, increasing the global death rates. The strength of Safari and his colleague’s article is that it obtains its data from the global burden of disease study 2019, which reflects the impact of disease on the global population, while its weakness is that it relies on secondary data for analysis. The weakness of the article is the lack of accurate data since most countries lack effective systems to record data.
COPD poses a great threat to the global population due to the rate at which it causes morbidity, mortality, and disability globally. The study obtains data from various medical journals, which contain verified information on health conditions enhancing its credibility. According to Adeloye et al. (2022), factors like age, smoking, gender, exposure to biomass, occupational dust and smoke, and body mass less than 18.5kg/m2 are the main risk factors for developing the condition. In terms of prevalence, it was estimated that 391.9 million people worldwide have the condition (Adeyole et al., 2022). Such statistics show how hard it is to manage the condition, making it a major challenge for the global healthcare systems. The global coverage of the analysis of the condition is the strength of the article. Its weakness is the likelihood of generalization of the data creating a vague picture of the burden of the condition.
Advance studies of COPD indicate that gender and cigarette use are among the emerging risk factors for developing the condition. In a study undertaken by Zang et al. in 2021, he discovered that gender differences enhance the development of the condition in different territories. According to Zang et al. (2021), women seem to have more COPD and die more often from the condition in western societies than men in the same society, which is the opposite of the perception maintained in Eastern societies. The condition and increased prevalence are linked to increased cigarette smoking among women in developed countries. This aspect means that culture maintained in a region also plays a significant role in developing the condition. The main strength of the article is that it provides additional insight into the risk factors for the condition. The weakness of the article is that it focuses only on developed countries.
In addition, altitude is perceived to be another factor influencing COPD development. According to Guo et al. (2020), a cross-sectional study on individuals with COPD living across different locations showed that individuals in high altitudes have a higher risk and prevalence of the condition. Additional analysis indicates that COPD is a significant health condition for residents living in altitudes of 2100-4700 meters above sea level, while its prevalence is inversely proportional to the altitude (Guo et al., 2020). It was also discovered that the condition’s prevalence is higher among men than women due to other risk factors like smoking. The article recommends that individuals in high altitudes should avoid exposure to household air pollution and prevent tuberculosis cases (Zhang et al., 2021). The strength of the article is the uniqueness of the research direction and study population. The study’s main limitation is that aspects like altitude and air quality in the areas where the participants lived were estimated.
The last area of reflection on the examination of prevalence and risk factors linked to COPD is how the condition relates to other respiratory diseases like asthma. The existence of another respiratory condition in an individual is perceived to enhance the prevalence of contracting COPD as such conditions overlap (To et al., 2018). Women with asthma are presumed to have a high risk of developing COPD or asthma, and COPD overlaps as they age. This condition is linked to a high mortality rate, increased healthcare costs, and low quality of life. The study concluded that individual risk factors have a more significant role in developing ACOS in women than environmental factors like pollution. Due to this reason, the healthcare system should enhance promotional and educational services to reduce the development of ACOS in society. The article’s strength is that the authors relate COPD with other chronic respiratory conditions like asthma and provide information on how they are linked. The main limitations experienced included the lack of medical history of the participants involved.
References
Adeloye, D., Song, P., Zhu, Y., Campbell, H., Sheikh, A., & Rudan, I. (2022). Global, regional, and national prevalence of, and risk factors for, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2019: A systematic review and modelling analysis.The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 10(5), 447-458.
Guo, Y., Xing, Z., Shan, G., Janssens, J., Sun, T., & Chai, D. et al. (2020). Prevalence and risk factors for COPD at high altitude: A large cross-sectional survey of subjects living between 2,100–4,700 m above sea level.Frontiers in Medicine, 7.
Safiri, S., Carson-Chahhoud, K., Noori, M., Nejadghaderi, S., Sullman, M., & Ahmadian Heris, J., Ansarin, K., Mansournia, A., Collins, S., Kolahi A., & Kaufman, S. (2022). Burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its attributable risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: Results from the global burden of disease study 2019.BMJ, e069679.
To, T., Zhu, J., Gray, N., Feldman, L., Villeneuve, P., & Licskai, C. et al. (2018). Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap in women. Incidence and risk factors.Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 15(11), 1304-1310.
Zhang, Y., Wang, L., Mutlu, G., & Cai, H. (2021). More to explore: Further definition of risk factors for COPD – Differential gender difference, modest elevation in PM2.5, and e- cigarette use.Frontiers in Physiology, 12.