National Center for
Health Statistics
Monitoring Health Care in America
Quarterly Fact Sheet
December 1996
Spotlight on: Lung Disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) are the
fourth leading cause of death in America, accounting for
nearly 105,000 deaths in 1995. Mortality rates from COPD
have increased slightly over the past decade, and in 1992
it passed accidents as the fourth leading cause of death
in the United States. In 1993, 63.5 years of potential
life were lost due to COPD for every 100,000 persons
under age 65 years. Death rates from COPD are greater for
men than for women, and for white persons than for black
persons.
According to 1994 data, over 14.5 million Americans
suffer from asthma, and more than 2 million Americans
suffer from emphysema. In addition, over 14 million cases
of chronic bronchitis were reported in the United States
in 1994. The South has the greatest prevalence of asthma
and chronic bronchitis, while the Northeast has the
lowest.
Use of Health Services
In 1994 there were 451,000 hospital discharges of
inpatients with a first-listed diagnosis of asthma,
compared with 201,000 discharges in 1978. There were
nearly 500,000 discharges for chronic bronchitis in 1993,
compared with 259,000 in 1978, and over 250,000
discharges for emphysema in 1994, compared with 64,000 in
1978. Asthma patients spent an average of 4 days in the
hospital in 1994, compared with 5.8 days in 1978.
Patients under age 15 years spent an average of 2.5 days
in the hospital for asthma in 1994, compared with 3.9
days in 1978. There were 981,000 inpatient surgical
procedures performed on the respiratory system in 1994.
Almost half of these procedures were performed on
patients aged 65 years and over, and over 750,000 were
performed on patients aged 45 years and over. Nearly a
third of all procedures performed on the respiratory
system were diagnostic in nature.
Nearly 12 million visits to hospital emergency
departments in 1994 were due to diseases of the
respiratory system. Over 1.6 million visits were by
patients with a principal diagnosis of asthma. Another
1.35 million had a principal diagnosis of bronchitis
(either acute or chronic). Nearly 15 million chest x rays
were performed on emergency department patients and
approximately 377,000 endotracheal intubations were
performed on these patients. Two
bronchodilators/antiasthmatics, Proventil and albuterol
sulfate, accounted for over 2.7 million or 2 percent of
all drugs prescribed at emergency department visits.
Nearly 5.9 million visits were made to hospital
outpatient departments in 1994 for respiratory diseases,
where over 1.8 million chest x rays were performed. Over
a million visits resulted in a principal diagnosis of
asthma. Proventil was the ninth most frequently
prescribed drug at outpatient department visits,
accounting for 778,000 prescriptions, while another
bronchodilator/antiasthmatic, Ventolin, was the 20th most
frequently prescribed drug (592,000).
In addition, 93.5 million office visits were made to
physicians for respiratory diseases in 1994. More than
10.7 million of these visits resulted in a principal
diagnosis of asthma, and more than 10.4 million resulted
in a principal diagnosis of bronchitis (all types).
Ventolin was the 15th most frequently prescribed drug at
office visits, accounting for over 6.8 million
prescriptions.
For further information about "Monitoring
Health Care in America" please contact NCHS, Office
of Public Affairs ( 301)-436-7551 or via e-mail at
paoquery@nch10a.em.cdc.gov.
Data Sources:
Health, United States
Health, United States, 1995.
328 pp. (PHS) 96-1232. GPO stock number 017-022-01339-8
price $25.00
2.1 MB
Monthly Vital Statistics Report
Annual Summary of Births, Marriages,
Divorces, and Deaths: United States, 1994. Vol.
43 No. 13. 42 pp. (PHS) 95-1120
523 KB
Vol. 43, No. 7, Supplement. Advance Report of Final
Mortality Statistics, 1993.
Vital and Health Statistics Series Reports
No. 122. Detailed
Diagnoses and Procedures, National Hospital Discharge
Survey, 1993. 288 pp. (PHS) 95-1783. GPO stock number
017-022-01323-1 price $24.00
1.6 MB
No. 121. National Hospital Discharge
Survey: Annual Summary, 1993. 63 pp. (PHS) 95-1782. GPO
stock number 017-022-01317-7 price $5.00
489 KB
Advance Data From Vital and Health Statistics
No. 278. 1994 Summary:
National Hospital Discharge Survey. 12 pp. (PHS) 96-1250
127 KB
No. 273. National
Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 1994 Summary. 20 pp.
(PHS) 96-1250
300 KB
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