Chronic respiratory disease - the acceptable epidemic?
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Burney, PGJ
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of disability and death in the UK but is an even greater problem in low income countries. It is assumed by many to be almost entirely attributed to smoking. However, smoking alone cannot account for the distribution of the disease in the world and there is accumulating evidence that the disease is overwhelmingly a disease of poverty. The size of the problem and the failure of current hypotheses to explain the distribution of chronic lung disease make the lack of funding in this area surprising. The failure of science funders to respond to the analysis of the Cooksey report, which pointed out the extreme discrepancy between the size of the problem and the paucity of research funding, represents a serious failure in science policy. The lack of urgency in the face of such a large burden of illness suggests a degree of complacency in the face of a disease that is overwhelmingly a disease of the poor.
Date Issued
2017-02-01
Date Acceptance
2016-06-26
Citation
Clinical Medicine, 2017, 17 (1), pp.29-32
ISSN
1473-4893
Publisher
Royal College of Physicians
Start Page
29
End Page
32
Journal / Book Title
Clinical Medicine
Volume
17
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© Royal College of Physicians 2016. All rights reserved.
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Medicine, General & Internal
General & Internal Medicine
COPD
disease burden
lung function
policy
poverty
OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY-DISEASE
AIR-FLOW OBSTRUCTION
LUNG-FUNCTION
MORTALITY
HEALTH
SUPPLEMENTATION
SPIROMETRY
AMERICAN
CAPACITY
SMOKING
Cost of Illness
Humans
Poverty
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
United Kingdom
1103 Clinical Sciences
General Clinical Medicine
Publication Status
Published