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Trends in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mortality in Australia
Author(s) -
Crockett Alan J,
Cranston Josephine M,
Moss John R,
Alpers John H
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1994.tb127638.x
Subject(s) - medicine , mortality rate , pulmonary disease , demography , population , disease , obstructive lung disease , gerontology , environmental health , sociology
Objective To examine trends in mortality from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the Australian population from 1964 to 1990. Design Review of national data on deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We calculated direct annual age‐standardised mortality rates for women and men (based on the 1976 age distribution of the Australian population), cumulative mortality rates and future mortality trends. Age‐standardised mortality rates based on the world standard population were calculated and compared with mortality rates from lung cancer. Results Male age‐standardised mortality increased 1.6‐fold from 1964 to 1970 and subsequently declined. In 1990 the male mortality rate was 5% less than in 1964. Female age‐standardised mortality has shown a 2.6‐fold increase from 1964 to 1990. Conclusions Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease seems likely to be a major health problem in Australia for many years to come. If present trends continue, female mortality from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may equal male mortality by the middle of the next decade.