From 2011 through 2021, the prevalence of COPD among adults remained stable overall, dipping slightly from 6.1% to 6%.
That’s according to the Nov. 17 weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 10-year stability follows a decline in prevalence among adults older than 25 from 1999-2011.
In spite of that stability, the report also found the prevalence of COPD increased among adults 75 years or older, those living in rural areas and those with a history of smoking during the same 10-year period. It was also elevated among women, those with a lower education level and those unable to work.
Also, the prevalence decreased significantly among adults between the ages of 18 and 44 years.
The data was collected as part of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an annual, state-based, random-digit-dialed mobile and landline phone survey among U.S. adults over 18 in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.
The CDC said in the report evidence-based strategies, especially those tailored for groups disproportionately affected, can reduce COPD prevalence and address the continued need for prevention, education, early diagnosis, treatment and management.
