Respiratory Disease Burden In Rural India: A Review From Multiple Data Sources

Abstract

Aim: The paper aims to review the respiratory disorder burden of rural Indians by utilizing data on survey of cause of death (rural). Methods: The data was mainly extracted from the of Causes of Death (rural) annual reports of Registrar General of India (RGI), Census of India 2001, National Family Health Survey I & II and various community based studies. Trend of tuberculosis (TB), asthma & bronchitis and pneumonia calculated by five-yearly moving averages for the period of 1966-94, rank-wise distribution of leading cause of death during 1971-91 was reviewed. Distribution of housing, source of cooking fuel was studied in relation to household pollution and state wise age-standardized prevalence rates of TB, asthma & bronchitis and pneumonia were calculated. Results: The analysis shows that poverty and unhealthy environment are strongly related to the respiratory disorders. Bronchitis and asthma recorded as leading cause, pneumonia and tuberculosis of the lungs ranked one of the five causes of deaths in rural India. The respiratory disorders have shown a reduction from 24.7 to 19.2 during the study period. Asthma and bronchitis prevalence rates in Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh are above national average. TB prevalence is high in Madya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat where Tamilnadu and Maharastra recorded lowest prevalence.