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COPD causes more hospitalizations in Canada than heart attacks, says Canadian Thoracic Society
OTTAWA – A review of Canadian data by the nation’s leading lung specialists has provided the factual evidence to support what respirologists across the country have been suspecting for some time.
Shockingly, more people are being admitted to Canadian hospitals each year with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than any other major chronic illness (including heart attacks) and that number has been increasing dramatically in recent years.
The report was released today by the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS), entitled The Human and Economic Burden of COPD: A Leading Cause of Hospital Admission in Canada.
“Anecdotally, we’ve known for some time that we’re seeing a lot of COPD patients being admitted to our hospitals,” says Darcy Marciniuk, MD, Chair, Canadian Thoracic Society COPD Committee and Respirologist at the University of Saskatchewan. “Perhaps what’s most concerning, is that the report shows patients frequently being admitted more than once. In fact, 18 per cent were admitted twice, and a further 14 per cent were admitted at least three times within the same year.”
