Study estimates 14 pc of adults aged 45, above have obstructive lung disease

New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) Over 14 per cent of those aged 45 and above in India could be affected by obstructive lung disease, reveals an analysis by an international team of researchers, including those from Mumbai's International Institute for Population Sciences.

Over 31,000 adults were administered spirometry -- commonly used to test how well one's lungs work -- as part of the 'Longitudinal Aging Study in India' (LASI), the country's first and world's largest database of older population recorded over long-term.

The findings published in the journal PLOS One show that men could be affected more, compared to women, and the prevalence increased with age.

Obstructive lung disease -- of which Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a type -- is marked by damage to lungs, causing inflammation and obstructing flow of air.

The team, which included researchers from the US' University of Southern California and Harvard School of Public Health, also found a low level of awareness among the participants -- only 12 per cent of the men and 11 per cent of the women surveyed reporting a prior diagnosis.

"The overall prevalence of obstructive lung disease was 14.4 per cent. Prevalence was higher among men than women and increased with age," the authors wrote.

Disease awareness was low, with only 12 per cent of men and 11 per cent of women with obstructive lung disease reporting prior diagnoses of lung disease, they said.

The team called for nation-wide campaigns for creating awareness of the important public health concern among the people, adding that despite a high disease burden, few estimates of prevalence based on high-quality data are available.

Data-driven approaches for addressing a rising burden of the disease are required, the authors said.

Prevalence of smoking as a risk factor for obstructive lung disease was found to vary by region, with rates ranging from about 30 per cent in north India to nearly 14 per cent in the country's western regions.

Prevalence of using unclean fuel for cooking -- another risk factor -- was found to be lowest in south India (nearly 30 per cent) and highest in the northeast (over 65 per cent).

The 'LASI' study -- a nationally representative survey of 73,000 adults in India, including 32,000 elderlies (age 60 and above) -- is internationally harmonised with the US' Health and Retirement Study and sister research projects across 45 countries, allowing for cross-country comparisons, the researchers said.

Second wave of data collection is underway, they added. PTI KRS KRS MAH MAH