COPD prevalence did not change over past 10 years

Key takeaways:

• Data showed no difference in overall COPD prevalence among U.S. adults from 2011 to 2021.
• Prevalence did rise over the years for older adults, micropolitan county residents and smokers.

No significant change in COPD prevalence occurred between 2011 and 2021 in the U.S., according to data from the CDC published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

“From 2011 to 2021, COPD remained stable, with more than one in 20 U.S. adults reporting being diagnosed with this disease in 2021,” Yong Liu, MD, of the CDC’s division of population health, told Healio.

With November being COPD Awareness Month, Liu emphasized the importance of these results as they help spread awareness for the disease.

“Clinicians and public health professionals can reduce the burden of COPD,” he said. “Working together we can improve the quality of life for those living with COPD through prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and management efforts. Tailored interventions can help to address the needs of adults disproportionately affected by COPD, including older adults, those who have ever smoked and residents of rural areas.”

Using survey responses from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System between 2011 and 2021, Liu and colleagues evaluated how the prevalence of COPD in adults has changed over this decade.

The population estimate of adults with COPD in the U.S. was comparable between 2011 and 2021 (14.3 million vs. 14.2 million).

In 2011, the age-standardized prevalence of the disease was 6.1%, which was similar to the prevalence reported in 2021 (6%).

“The stable trend in COPD prevalence is consistent with overall trends in COPD mortality rates, which also remained unchanged from 1999 to 2019,” Liu told Healio.

Additionally, researchers found that subgroups with higher age-standardized prevalences of the disease included women vs. men (2011, 6.9% vs. 5.4%; 2021, 6.5% vs. 5.5%); non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native (2011, 10.4%; 2021, 10.2%) and non-Hispanic other individuals (2011, 10.7%; 2021, 8%) vs. non-Hispanic white (2011, 6.4%; 2021, 6.5%); those who are unemployed (2011, 8.1%; 2021, 7.7%), retired (2011, 8.5%; 2021, 11%), unable to work (2011, 20.8%; 2021, 19.3%) or homemakers/students (2021, 5.1%; 2021, 5.6%) vs. employed individuals (3.7% for both 2011 and 2021); and current (2011, 13.7%; 2021, 16.2%) or former smokers (2011, 7%; 2021, 7.7%) vs. never smokers (2011, 2.9%; 2021, 2.8%).

When dividing up the trend based on different characteristics including age, location and smoking status, researchers found a decline in COPD over the assessed years among those aged 18 to 44 years (average annual percent change [AAPC], –2%; 95% CI, –3.1% to –0.9%) and individuals who could not work (AAPC, –0.9%; 95% CI, –1.3% to –0.5%).

In contrast, COPD prevalence grew over the years for several subgroups: those aged 75 years or older (AAPC, 1.3%; 95% CI, 0.2%-2.3%), current smokers (AAPC, 1.5%; 95% CI, 1.1%-1.8%), former smokers (AAPC, 1.2%; 95% CI, 0.5%-2%), micropolitan county residents (AAPC, 0.8%; 95% CI, 0.2%-1.4%) and those with some college or technical school education (AAPC, 0.6%; 95% CI, 0.2%-0.9%).

“The demographic disparities observed across sex, age, education and rural residence are similar to those previously reported,” Liu said. “COPD remains more common among adults who are older, female, live in rural areas, have a lower education level and ever smoked.”

Researchers also looked at age-standardized COPD prevalence within each state over the years and found that the disease appeared less frequently from 2011 to 2021 in Hawaii (AAPC, –2.5%), New Mexico (AAPC, –2.4%), Maryland (AAPC, –2%), Massachusetts (AAPC, –2%) and New York (AAPC, –1.6%). The only state with a significant rise in prevalence over the past 11 years was Louisiana (AAPC, 2.4%).

“[As time goes on,] CDC will continue to disseminate and interpret COPD prevalence and mortality data to guide efforts in COPD prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and management,” Liu told Healio.

For more information:

Yong Liu, MD, can be reached at ikd8@cdc.gov.