Epidemiological survey of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and alpha‐1 antitrypsin deficiency in Korea

The number of deaths from COPD as provided by Korea National Statistical Office has been available from 1983 and is published annually. The death rate in both sexes increased progressively from 1983 to 1999. The death rate more than doubled during this period, which is higher than the natural population growth (Fig. 3). The importance of COPD is also suggested by a government report which stated that lower respiratory disorder is the tenth leading cause of death in Korean men. Lower respiratory disorders include bronchiectasis and tuberculosis sequelae and, therefore, does not automatically mean that COPD is the tenth leading cause of death. However, it does imply that COPD is an important disease in Korea. The economic burden of COPD on medical expenditure in Korea is not clear. Because dyspnoea is considered a normal ageing process, people with COPD frequently do not consult medical facilities until it is advanced. Also, when they are told that COPD cannot be cured by medication, a significant proportion of patients discontinue medical therapy. Even the Korean National Health Insurance Corporation does not have information on medical expenditure resulting from COPD because of inadequate software support. However, the cost of acute care for COPD is increasing because the number of admissions with COPD has increased steadily at Seoul National University Hospital during the last 10 years (Fig. 4). In conclusion, although COPD is not seen as frequently in Korea as it is in Western countries, it is steadily increasing and is becoming an important disease in the elderly people of Korea.