EC Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine

Background and Aim: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has become an important public health problem due to its high morbidity and disability. However, the epidemiological data of COPD in Yinchuan, Ningxia, China, are older, and with the development of society and changes in air quality, the epidemiological status of the prevalence of COPD and related risk factors in Yinchuan in recent years is still unclear; therefore, the aim of this study was to update the prevalence of COPD and related risk factors in Yinchuan people aged 40 years and older.

Methods: Questionnaires, physical measurements and pulmonary function tests were conducted from April 2019 to December 2022 using multi-stage stratified whole cluster sampling for permanent residents aged 40 years and above in Yinchuan district, Ningxia, China. Risk factor analysis was performed using logistic regression analysis.

Results: In this survey, 11,547 patients had satisfactory lung function measurements and complete questionnaires, and 1,841 patients with COPD were detected, with an overall prevalence of 15.9%, and only 10.5% indicated that they were aware of the disease. The results showed that male, advanced age, living in an urban area, low literacy, history of current smoking, history of former smoking, history of second hand smoke exposure, low body weight, history of biomass fuel use, and family history of respiratory disease were the main risk factors for COPD in Yinchuan, Ningxia, China.

Conclusion: The prevalence of COPD among people aged 40 years and older in Yinchuan, Ningxia, China, has increased significantly compared with 10 years ago and is higher than the national data. However, the population in this region has a very low rate of awareness of chronic lung disease and the situation of COPD prevention and control is grim, so active interventions should be taken to effectively prevent and control COPD by targeting the risk factors of tobacco smoke exposure, low body weight, and biomass fuel use.

 Keywords: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Epidemiological Characteristics; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Yinchuan; China

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