Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease In Korea Research Articles

Joint effect of long-term exposure to ambient air pollution on the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010–2019

BackgroundLittle is known about the relationship between long-term joint exposure to mixtures of air pollutants and the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to assess the joint impact of long-term exposure to ambient air pollution on the prevalence of COPD in Korea, especially in areas with high levels of air pollution. MethodsWe included 22,387 participants who underwent spirometry tests in 2010–2019. The community multiscale air quality model was used to estimate the levels of ambient air pollution at residential addresses. The average exposure over the 5 years before the examination date was used to calculate the concentrations of air pollution. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s and forced vital capacity were used to define restrictive lung disease, COPD, and moderate-to-severe COPD. Quantile-based g-computation models were used to assess the joint impact of air pollution on COPD prevalence. ResultsA total of 2535 cases of restrictive lung disease, 2787 cases of COPD, and 1399 cases of moderate-to-severe COPD were identified. In the individual pollutant model, long-term exposure was significantly associated with both restrictive lung disease and COPD. In the mixture pollutant model, the odds ratios (ORs, 95% confidence intervals) for restrictive lung disease increased with each quartile increment in the 1- to 5-year average mixtures: 1.14 (1.02–1.28, 1 year), 1.25 (1.11–1.41, 2 years), 1.26 (1.11–1.42, 3 years), 1.32 (1.16–1.51, 4 years), and 1.37 (1.19–1.58, 5 years), respectively. The increase in ORs of restrictive lung disease accelerated over time. By contrast, the ORs of COPD showed a decreasing trend over time. ConclusionsLong-term exposure to air pollutants, both individually and jointly, was associated with an increased risk of developing COPD, particularly restrictive lung disease. Our findings highlight the importance of comprehensively assessing exposure to various air pollutants in relation to COPD.

PRS43 SOCIAL BURDEN AND MEDICAL COST OF COPD IN KOREA

to estimate the burden of disease due to Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Korea. We investigated the prevalence of COPD in Korea using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES 2016). Using the bronchodilator responsiveness in population-based samples, we corrected the pre-bronchodilator testing results that can overestimate prevalence. We used national statistics and Korean-specific disability weights. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) was calculated using methodology employed in the GBD 2010. Medical cost and healthcare use were investigated using national patient sample data of Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA-NPS 2016). Patients were identified by ICD-10 codes and COPD-related medications. 24,174 DALYs (per 100,000 population over age 40) were lost due to COPD. Of those, 60.8% came from male over 60s, and 20% from the female. 8% was due to premature death and 92% was computed from years lived with disability (YLDs) due to illness. The prevalence of COPD was 9.6%, which was 31.5% lower than that of the pre-bronchodilator test. Only 9.9% of estimated patients had been diagnosed or treated. The annual medical expenditure per person was 1,187 (SD: 3,568) USD. The cost per event was 961 (SD: 2,382) USD when acute exacerbation occurred. The most commonly prescribed drug was methylxanthines and the largest portion of the costs was LAMA and ICS / LABA. The burden of disease was estimated not only by the population using the health care service but also by the general population, and the economic burden was also investigated. Key Terms: burden, medical cost, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Authors: Eunmi Bae (Korea University. College of Pharmacy), and Sang-Eun Choi (Korea University. College of Pharmacy).

Direct and Indirect Costs of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Korea.

BackgroundUnderstanding the burden of disease is important to establish cost-effective treatment strategies and to allocate healthcare resources appropriately. However, little reliable information is available regarding the overall economic burden imposed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Korea.MethodsThis study is a multicenter observational research on the COPD burden in Korea. Total COPD costs were comprised of three categories: direct medical, direct non-medical, and indirect costs. For direct medical costs, institutional investigation was performed at 13 medical facilities mainly based on the claims data. For direct non-medical and indirect costs, site-based surveys were administered to the COPD patients during routine visits. Total costs were estimated using the COPD population defined in the recent report.ResultsThe estimated total costs were approximately 1,245 million US dollar (1,408 billion Korean won). Direct medical costs comprised approximately 20% of the total estimated costs. Of these, formal medical costs held more than 80%. As direct non-medical costs, nursing costs made up the largest percentage (39%) of the total estimated costs. Costs for COPD-related loss of productivity formed four fifths of indirect costs, and accounted for up to 33% of the total costs.ConclusionThis study shows for the first time the direct and indirect costs of COPD in Korea. The total costs were enormous, and the costs of nursing and lost productivity comprised approximately 70% of total costs. The results provide insight for an effective allocation of healthcare resources and to inform establishment of strategies to reduce national burden of COPD.

Revised (2018) COPD Clinical Practice Guideline of the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease: A Summary.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) results in high morbidity and mortality among patients nationally and globally. The Korean clinical practice guideline for COPD was revised in 2018. The guideline was drafted by the members of the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases as well as the participating members of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, Korean Physicians' Association, and Korea Respiration Trouble Association. The revised guideline encompasses a wide range of topics, including the epidemiology, diagnosis, assessment, monitoring, management, exacerbation, and comorbidities of COPD in Korea. We performed systematic reviews assisted by an expert in meta-analysis to draft a guideline on COPD management. We expect this guideline to facilitate the treatment of patients with respiratory conditions by physicians as well other health care professionals and government personnel in South Korea.

Summary of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Clinical Practice Guideline Revised in 2014 by the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) results in high morbidity and mortality among patients both domestically and globally. The Korean clinical practice guideline for COPD was revised in 2014. It was drafted by the members of the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, as well as participating members of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, Korean Physicians' Association, and Korea Respiration Trouble Association. This revised guideline covers a wide range of topics, including the epidemiology, diagnosis, assessment, monitoring, management, exacerbation, and comorbidities of COPD in Korea. We drafted a guideline on COPD management by performing systematic reviews on the topic of management with the help of a meta-analysis expert. We expect this guideline will be helpful medical doctors treating patients with respiratory conditions, other health care professionals, and government personnel in South Korea.

Recent Trends in the Prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Korea.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had been considered the only major disease that is continuing to increase in prevalence. There were a few studies about the change of the prevalence of COPD, which showed the prevalence of COPD did not increase. In this review, we report on the trends in the prevalence of COPD in Korea using the data from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). The prevalence of COPD in 2015 was 13.4% (male, 21.6%; female, 5.8%). The prevalence of COPD did not change much, which ranged from 13.1% to 14.6% during the period from 2010 to 2015. Among the subjects found to have COPD by spirometry, only 2.8% had been diagnosed as COPD by physicians during the period from 2011 and 2015. In conclusion, the prevalence of COPD did not change significantly during the period from 2010 to 2015. And most COPD patients still had not been diagnosed by physicians and consequently had not been treated appropriately.

Strategies for Management of the Early Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease.

Lung function reportedly declines with age and that this decline is accelerated during disease progression. However, a recent study showed that the decline might peak in the mild and moderate stage. The prognosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be improved if the disease is diagnosed in its early stages, prior to the peak of decline in lung function. This article reviews recent studies on early COPD and the possibility of applying the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation 2008 and 2015 for early detection of COPD in Korea.

Relationship of vitamin D status with lung function and exercise capacity in COPD.

The relationship between blood vitamin D level and clinical parameters in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been reported with conflicting results. We explored the effects of vitamin D on clinical characteristics of patients with COPD in Korea. The study population comprised 193 patients with COPD from Korean Obstructive Lung Disease Cohort. The plasma level of 25-OH vitamin D3 (25-OH-VitD3) was measured every year along with various clinical parameters such as lung function, 6-min walking (6MW) distance, quality of life, exacerbations and emphysema index. Generalized estimating equations and linear mixed model were used for statistical analysis. Of the 193 patients, 12 (6.2%), 28 (14.5%) and 153 (79.3%) were categorized into normal, insufficiency and deficiency groups. Clustered analysis showed that the plasma 25-OH-VitD3 level was associated with the post-bronchodilator ratio of force expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity (FEV1 /FVC) (estimated = 0.001; P = 0.022). The vitamin D deficiency group showed lower FEV1 (estimated = -0.129, P = 0.043), FEV1 % predicted (estimated = -4.994, P = 0.029) and FEV1 /FVC ratio (estimated = -0.048, P = 0.001) than did the non-deficiency group. The 6MW distance tended to be shorter in deficiency group (estimated = -17.26, P = 0.069) than in non-deficiency group. Quality of life, exacerbation and emphysema index were not associated with plasma 25-OH-VitD3 level. We demonstrated a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Korean patients with COPD and a significant relationship between vitamin D deficiency and airflow limitation. The exercise capacity tended to be decreased in the vitamin D deficiency group.

Prevalence of chronic obstructive lung disease in Korea using data from the fifth Korea national health and nutrition examination survey.

BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. The awareness and treatment rate of the disease are low despite its relatively high prevalence. With the added data, this study aimed to identify changes in prevalence and risk factors of COPD using the data from the 5th KNHNES.MethodsThe subjects of this study were 8,969 individuals aged 40 and older who satisfied suitability and reproducibility for pulmonary function tests. The prevalence, awareness and risk factors of COPD were predicted based on the questionnaires on gender, age, educational level, income level, smoking history, body mass index (BMI) and other COPD related questions.ResultsDiagnosis of COPD was based on the airflow limitation (forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity <0.7) of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria. The prevalence of COPD from 2010 to 2012 was 13.7%, of which 23.3% was men and 6.5% women. The prevalence was on the rise, with 12.2% in 2010, 13.2% in 2011, and 15.5% in 2012. In GOLD stage 1, the percentages of those who had cough or sputum and smoking history were 12.1% and 75.5%, respectively, but only 0.1% was diagnosed with COPD. Even after adjusting for asthma and tuberculosis, men, old age, larger amount of smoking were linked with a higher prevalence of COPD, and obese and higher educational level were associated with a lower prevalence of COPD.ConclusionThe prevalence of COPD in Korea has been increasing every year, and a higher prevalence was associated with male, older age, more amount of smoking, lower educational level and lower BMI.

Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IV, V) from 2007-2012.

Background:There is good evidence for an association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and depression, but there are few studies on the relationship between COPD and suicidal ideation/suicidal attempts.Aims:To evaluate the mental health of patients with COPD in Korea and to compare it with that of the general population.Methods:We analysed data of 15,718 subjects (age ⩾40 years) who participated in the 2007–2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. COPD was defined according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria for people aged ⩾40 years. We compared the mental health outcomes of 2,506 patients with COPD (2,355 GOLD stages I and II; 151 GOLD stages III and IV) with those of 13,212 controls.Results:Suicidal thoughts were reported by 16.0% of patients in stages I and II, by 23.8% of those in stages III and IV and by 15.7% of controls (P=0.023). Suicidal attempts were reported by 0.6% of patients in stages I and II, by 2.6% of those in stages III and IV and by 1.0% of controls (P=0.019). The crude odds ratio (OR) for suicidal ideation in those in stages III and IV was 1.68 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.16–2.46), and the OR for suicidal attempts in stages III and IV was 2.83 (95% CI, 1.03–7.75). In multivariate analysis, the OR for suicidal ideation in stages III and IV was 1.67 (95% CI, 1.12–2.49) and that for suicidal attempts was 2.94 (95% CI, 1.03–8.31).Conclusions:GOLD stages III and IV COPD were associated with a marked increase in suicidal behaviour.

Health care use and economic burden of patients with diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Korea.

The prevalence and economic burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are increasing worldwide. However, little information is available concerning COPD-associated health care use and costs in Korea. To analyse 1) health care use, medical costs and medication use in 2009, and 2) changes in costs and medication use over 5 years (2006-2010). Using the database of the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, COPD patients were identified by searching on both ICD-10 codes and COPD medication. RESULTS A total of 192,496 COPD patients were identified in 2009. Total medical costs per person were US$2803 ± 3865; the average annual number of days of out-patient care and days of hospitalisation were respectively 40 ± 36 and 11 ± 33. Methylxanthine and systemic beta-agonists were the most frequently used drugs. However, the number of prescriptions for long-acting muscarinic antagonist increased rapidly. The total cost of COPD-related medications increased by 33.1% over 5 years. The present study provides new insight into health care use and the economic burden of COPD in Korea. Changing patterns of COPD-related medication use could help inform COPD management policies.

Clinical Year-in-Review of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Korea

Many findings suggest that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) imposes an enormous burden on patients, health-care professionals and society. COPD contributes to morbidity and mortality and to a significant use of health-care resources. In spite of a higher prevalence of COPD in Korea, the result of COPD treatment is not effective. The purpose of this article was to review recent advances in the study of COPD in Korea with the aim of improving effective management. This review highlights articles pertaining to the following topics; prevalence, assessment of COPD, risk factors for hospitalization, co-morbid diseases, phenotypes, and treatment issues.

Trends and Factors in Health Care Utilization of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Korea: A Nationwide Survey from 1990 through 2008

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide and one of the most prevalent diseases in Korea. We examined trends and risk factors of health care utilization for COPD in Korea. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the database of Patient Surveys from 1990 through 2008, which were nationwide surveys of health services utilization through outpatient department (OPD) visits and hospitalization. Physician-diagnosed COPD patients whose ages were 45 years and older were included. Results: OPD visits and hospitalization of COPD patients between 1990 and 2008 were estimated to be 68,552 and 17,774 persons, respectively. Trends in OPD visits and hospitalization for COPD significantly increased from 1990 through 2008 (p=0.019, p=0.001, respectively). The increment rate for OPD visits was 2.0 fold over those years; for hospitalization it was 3.3 fold. Risk factors for OPD visits for COPD were male gender (odd ration [OR], 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39∼1.43), those aged 65 years and older (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.47∼1.53), residential area other than a metropolis (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.07∼1.010) and access to a physician`s office (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.14∼1.21). Risk factors for hospitalization were male gender (OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 2.07∼2.23), those aged 65 year and older (OR, 2.86; 95% CI, 2.72∼3.00), residential area other than a metropolis (OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.90∼2.07) and access to a hospital (OR, 2.88; 95% CI, 2.59∼3.22) (p＜0.001, both). Conclusion: Health care utilization for COPD subjects increased from 1990 to 2008. Risk factors for the utilization were male gender, older age, and residential area other than a metropolis.

Prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Korea: The Result of Forth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of chronic morbidity and mortality throughout the world and is the only major disease that is continuing to increase in both prevalence and mortality. The second Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey revealed that the prevalence of COPD in Korean subjects aged ≥45 years was 17.2% in 2001. Further surveys on the prevalence of COPD were not available until 2007. Here, we report the prevalence of spirometrically detected COPD in Korea, using data from the fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES IV) which was conducted in 2007∼2009. Methods: Based on the Korean Statistical Office census that used nationwide stratified random sampling, 10,523 subjects aged ≥40 years underwent spirometry. Place of residence, levels of education, income, and smoking status, as well as other results from a COPD survey questionnaire were also assessed. Results: The prevalence of COPD (defined as forced expiratory volume in 1 sec/forced vital capacity ＜0.7 in subjects aged ≥40 years) was 12.9% (men, 18.7%; women, 7.5%). In total, 96.5% of patients with COPD had mild-to-moderate disease; only 2.5% had been diagnosed by physicians, and only 1.7% had been treated. The independent risk factors for COPD were smoking, advanced age, and male gender. Conclusion: The prevalence of COPD was 12.9% in the KNHANES IV data. Most patients with COPD were undiagnosed and untreated. Based on these results, a strategy for early COPD intervention is warranted in high risk subjects.

Risk Factors Associated with Frequent Hospital Readmissions for Exacerbation of COPD

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors associated with recurrent hospital admissions for exacerbation of COPD in Korea. Methods: A retrospective study of 77 consecutive patients hospitalized for exacerbation of COPD at Pusan National University Hospital during the time period January 2005 to May 2008 was performed. The information was collected from the hospitalization period: clinical information, spirometric measures, and laboratory variables. In addition, socioeconomic characteristics, co-morbidity, anxiety, and depression were reviewed. Frequent readmission was defined as 2 or more hospitalizations in the year following discharge. Results: During the 1-year period after discharge, 42 patients (54.6%) reported one hospital admission and 35 patients (45.4%) reported 2 or more hospital readmissions. Among the 35 frequent readmission patients, 4 had more than 10 readmissions. Univariate analysis showed that a body mass index (BMI) ＜18.5 kg/m 2 , duration ＞36 months, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) ＜50% predicted, arterial CO2 partial pressure (PaCO2) ＞40 mm Hg, and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) ＜95% at discharge were associated significantly with frequent readmissions. The multivariate analysis revealed that BMI ＜18.5 kg/m 2 , PaCO2 ＞40 mm Hg at discharge were independently associated with frequent readmissions for exacerbation of COPD. Conclusion: Frequent readmissions for exacerbation of COPD were associated with low BMI and hypercapnia at discharge.