Underdiagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in China: epidemiologic study

Objective To investigate underdiagnosis problem of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China. Methods Articles published during January 1st, 2000 and December 30th, 2011 were searched in Wanfang Database and Medline, search words including COPD and epidemiology survey. The papers were then reviewed, and those original contirbutions with sample size≥1000 and strict quality control entered into the final analysis. Results Only 32.90% (1095/3328) COPD patients had ever been diagnosed to have emphysema, bronchitis or COPD, and only 9.13% (237/2597) had undergone lung function test. About 65.40% (2306/3526) COPD patients were presented with at least one of the following symptoms: cough, phlegm and breathlessness. Stage Ⅰ or Ⅱ COPD was found in 74.52% (1802/2418) patients. Conclusion Underdiagnosis of COPD was quite common in China, and patients with stage Ⅰ or Ⅱ COPD should have deserved early diagosis. Key words: Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive; Epidemiology; Diagnosis