Chronic Respiratory Diseases in the Regions of Northern Russia: Epidemiological Distinctions in the Results of a National Population Study.

Alexander D. Deev,Svetlana A. Shalnova,Oxana M. Drapkina,Marine H. Gambaryan

doi:10.3390/ijerph14080841

Abstract

The aim of the study is to investigate the epidemiological situation regarding chronic respiratory diseases in populations that inhabit different climatic–geographical regions of Russia, and to develop targeted programs for prevention of these diseases. Methods: (1) a comparative analysis of the standardized mortality data in Russia and other selected regions of the Russian North using the European standard for respiratory diseases, in a population aged 25–64; and (2) data from a randomized cross-sectional epidemiological study, with subjects from three different climatic-geographical regions of Russia. Results: (1) the respiratory disease-related mortality rates in the majority of Russian Northern regions were much higher compared to the national average. Although death rates from chronic lower respiratory diseases were higher among the Northern regions and in the whole of Russia relative to the countries of European Union (EU), the cause of death in the populations of the Northern regions tend to be lower respiratory infections and pneumonia; and (2) despite the absence of any significant differences in the prevalence of smoking, the prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases (COPD) is significantly higher in Far North Yakutsk compared to the other two regions in this study—Chelyabinsk and Vologda. The status of hyperborean had the highest chance of a significant contribution to COPD and cardiorespiratory pathology among all other risk factors. The results revealed a need for effective targeted strategies for primary and secondary prevention of chronic respiratory diseases for the populations of the Northern regions of Russia. Conclusions: The revealed regional distinctions regarding the prevalence of, and mortality from, chronic respiratory diseases should be taken into consideration when designing integrated programs for chronic non-communicable disease prevention in these regions.

Highlights

Chronic respiratory diseases (CRD)—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in particular—are serious social and economic burdens worldwide [1,2], including in the RussianFederation, where mortality due to COPD is one of the highest in the European region [3].Respiratory diseases are the third leading cause of mortality in European Union (EU) countries, following cardiovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms: According to the Eurostat data, the standardized mortality ratio is 41.2 deaths per 100,000 of populations across all ages, with the majority of deaths in people over 65 years of age
A comparative study of premature mortality parameters that were standardized by age allowed us to determine regional peculiarities, such as a high mortality due to respiratory diseases compared to the national average, and high mortality due to lower respiratory tract infections, which should be taken into account when developing integrated programs for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) prevention
A study of COPD prevalence and risk factors, conducted as a part of the multicenter epidemiological study, found a significantly higher COPD prevalence in the Far North region Yakutsk, compared to the other two regions—Chelyabinsk and Vologda, while smoking prevalence was similar in all three regions

Summary

Introduction

Chronic respiratory diseases (CRD)—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in particular—are serious social and economic burdens worldwide [1,2], including in the RussianFederation, where mortality due to COPD is one of the highest in the European region [3].Respiratory diseases are the third leading cause of mortality in European Union (EU) countries, following cardiovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms: According to the Eurostat data, the standardized mortality ratio is 41.2 deaths per 100,000 of populations across all ages, with the majority of deaths in people over 65 years of age. Chronic respiratory diseases (CRD)—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in particular—are serious social and economic burdens worldwide [1,2], including in the Russian. Federation, where mortality due to COPD is one of the highest in the European region [3]. Respiratory diseases are the third leading cause of mortality in European Union (EU) countries, following cardiovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms: According to the Eurostat data, the standardized mortality ratio is 41.2 deaths per 100,000 of populations across all ages, with the majority of deaths in people over 65 years of age. Chronic lower respiratory diseases (CLRD) are the most frequent causes of death, followed by pneumonia [4]. Some work suggests that CLRDs, chronic bronchitis (CB) and COPD, are independent risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Public Health 2017, 14, 841; doi:10.3390/ijerph14080841 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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