More and more people with chronic bronchitis

More and more people with chronic bronchitis

17/11/2013

In Baden-Württemberg, more and more people are suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), colloquially better known as smoker's cough.

Six million Germans affected
How the country representative of the Techniker health insurance company (TK) Baden-Wurttemberg announced on Friday in Freiburg, is the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), colloquially known as smoker's cough, now a widespread disease. About six million people, up to 15 percent of adults in Germany are affected. The TK relies on figures from the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden.

The third leading cause of death in Europe
According to the data, at TK 2011 more than 17,500 patients diagnosed with COPD were hospitalized in Baden-Württemberg. That was 37 percent more than five years before. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that COPD will become the third leading cause of death from heart disease and stroke in Europe by 2020.

Many lung diseases among the most common causes of death
The world's top ten causes of death are the world's top causes of lung cancer. For example, the current 2011 WHO list of causes of death states that lung infections in third, chronic lung diseases ranked fourth and tracheal / lung cancer seventh. Heart disease such as heart attack and strokes still occupy the top positions. Common to all diseases is that smoking plays an important role.

Main cause of smoking
Thus, for the COPD according to the TK communication the main cause of smoking. Of the COPD patients, ninety percent are or were smokers and one in two smokers over the age of 40 have chronic bronchitis. The numbers would continue to increase, despite the smoking ban and better education, especially in women. The disease has a long lead. Typical initial symptoms include persistent cough, recurrent bronchitis and increased dyspnea under exercise. (Ad)