Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has a high level of underdiagnosis. and according to the Argentine Association of Respiratory Medicine (AAMR), 70% of people suffering from this in our country do not know about it, and Juan José Soler Catalunya, a Spanish pulmonologist, pointed out that the best treatment to prevent this is to “quit smoking”.
The AAMR also warned that It is estimated that about 2.3 million people in Argentina may suffer from COPD. according to the latest available data.
According to the Epocar study, conducted in six conglomerates of the country, only 22% of those diagnosed in said study admitted to having COPD, indicating that underdiagnosis is over 70%, a phenomenon that replicates worldwide. they explained..
In this regard, they stated that 35% of those surveyed were current smokers, 35.3% were ex-smokers, and 29.7% had never smoked, adding that there was a significant association between smoking and COPD.
Juan José Soler Catalunya – Head of the Pulmonology Service of the Arnau de Vilanova Hospital in Valencia, Spain, author of over 140 publications and director of the COPD Health Plan of the Valencian Community – visited our country as part of the “100 Years of Breathing with GSK” meeting organized by a pharmaceutical company in the province of Córdoba .
This doctor told healthcare professionals about his COPD research and the development of the “Do” program in Spain, which aims toto early optimization of diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
“COPD is a disease that has been classically described in the adult population. Most studies talk about the population over 40 years old, that is COPD is uncommon in children or adolescents“, – said the Spanish pulmonologist.
In a dialogue with Telam, Soler Catalonia recalled that this phenomenon occurs as a result of inhaling tobacco smoke from smoking, which is “80% to 85% of cases.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COPD is the third leading cause of death in the world and the seventh leading cause of ill health. (measured by disability-adjusted life years).
“This is because one of the big problems is that the disease is diagnosed late and there is a high level of underdiagnosis,” he said.
The main risk factor is smoking, and the median age in all studies is about 60 years.
