14% of Indians over 45 may already have obstructive lung disease.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Towfiqu barbhuiya/Pexels
More than 14% of Indians aged 45 and above may be living with obstructive lung disease, according to a new analysis by an international team of researchers, including experts from Mumbai's International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS).
The findings, based on spirometry tests of over 31,000 adults as part of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI), were published in the journal PLOS One. LASI is India's first and the world's largest database tracking the health and ageing of older populations.
Researchers noted that men are more likely to be affected than women, and prevalence rises steadily with age.
Obstructive lung disease, which includes conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), is caused by lung damage and airway obstruction leading to breathing difficulties.
Alarmingly, awareness levels remain low. Only 12% of men and 11% of women with the disease reported a prior medical diagnosis.
'Despite the high burden, few estimates based on high-quality data exist in India. We need nationwide awareness campaigns and data-driven interventions,' the authors wrote.
The study also highlighted key risk factors:
- Smoking: Prevalence ranged from nearly 30% in north India to about 14% in the west.
- Unclean cooking fuels: Usage was lowest in the south (30%) but alarmingly high in the northeast (over 65%).
Researchers emphasised that better screening, cleaner fuels, and anti-smoking measures will be critical to address this growing public health challenge.
The second wave of LASI data collection is already underway, promising deeper insights into India's ageing population and disease burden.
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