Smoking is the major risk factor for mortality from COPD and asthma
Li X, Cao X, Guo M, Xie M, Liu X. Trends and risk factors of mortality and disability adjusted life years for chronic respiratory diseases from 1990 to 2017: systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. BMJ 2020; 368:m234.
https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m234
“Smoking remained the major risk factor for mortality due to COPD and asthma….Regions with a low socio-demographic index had the greatest burden of disease. The estimated contribution of risk factors (such as smoking, environmental pollution, and a high body mass index) to mortality and DALYs supports the need for urgent efforts to reduce exposure to them.”
Note: Figures in this report show COPD rates have dropped in Thailand
Figure 1 with global age standardized mortality rate per 100 000 people of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for both sexes in 2017 shows Thailand with a lower rate than many Asian countries and at about the same rate as Australia. Figure 2 shows that Thailand’s estimated annual percentage of age standardized mortality rate per 100 000 people of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for both sexes from 1990 to 2017 has decreased substantially, by at least 7%.
Stephen Hamann
