Editorial
Nipping it in the bud: An inspiring mission for prevention and management of COPD
Abstract
An epidemiological survey in China revealed that the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD) was 8.2% among Chinese adults aged 40 years or older (12.4% in men and 5.1%
in women) (1). Of the patients surveyed, up to 70.7% suffered from mild (stage I) or moderate
(stage II) condition, and were almost free of dyspnea (including exertional dyspnea), or with
unspecific symptoms like chronic cough and sputum which were readily neglected. As a result,
only 35.1% of these COPD patients had ever been diagnosed, contributing to a rate of detection
far below the actual prevalence in the country.
disease (COPD) was 8.2% among Chinese adults aged 40 years or older (12.4% in men and 5.1%
in women) (1). Of the patients surveyed, up to 70.7% suffered from mild (stage I) or moderate
(stage II) condition, and were almost free of dyspnea (including exertional dyspnea), or with
unspecific symptoms like chronic cough and sputum which were readily neglected. As a result,
only 35.1% of these COPD patients had ever been diagnosed, contributing to a rate of detection
far below the actual prevalence in the country.
