COPD is a major cause of death in Australia, responsible for 4% of all deaths in recent years. However, it should be noted that the attribution of cause of death in the elderly is often difficult, particularly in relation to COPD and asthma (Jones et al. 1999; Smyth et al. 1996; Sears et al. 1986).
In 2009, 5,293 people were recorded as having died from COPD (2,979 males and 2,314 females). Approximately 8% of all respiratory deaths (11,049) were due to COPD.
In Australia, over the last century, trends in the rate of deaths of males from COPD followed tobacco consumption trends.
After having increased rapidly for several decades, in 1970, the male death rate peaked at 95 deaths per 100,000 population. In 2009, the male rate had fallen to 29 per 100,000, less than a third of the rate in 1970.
The female rate has consistently been much lower than the male rate and peaked much later at 23 per 100,000 population in 1997. The male rate has gone from around 8 times the female rate in 1970 (95 compared to 13 per 100,000) to almost twice the female rate in 2009 (29 compared to 17 per 100,000).
References
Jones K, Berrill WT, Bromly CL & Hendrick DJ 1999. A confidential enquiry into certified asthma deaths in the north of England, 1994–96: influence of co-morbidity and diagnostic inaccuracy. Respiratory Medicine 93:923–7.
Sears MR, Rea HH, De Boer G, Beaglehole R, Gillies AJD, Holst PE et al. 1986. Accuracy of certification of deaths due to asthma. American Journal of Epidemiology 124:1004–11.
Smyth ET, Wright SC, Evans AE, Sinnamon DG & MacMahon J 1996. Death from airways obstruction: accuracy of certification in Northern Ireland. Thorax 51:293–7.
Source table
Table 1: Tobacco consumption and death rates for COPD by sex, 1945 to 2006
| Year |
Tobacco consumption
(kg consumed per person) |
COPD deaths per 100,000 population |
| Males |
Females |
| 1945 |
1.9 |
|
|
| 1946 |
2.0 |
|
|
| 1947 |
2.3 |
|
|
| 1948 |
2.5 |
|
|
| 1949 |
2.6 |
|
|
| 1950 |
2.9 |
|
|
| 1951 |
3.1 |
|
|
| 1952 |
3.1 |
|
|
| 1953 |
3.1 |
|
|
| 1954 |
3.3 |
|
|
| 1955 |
3.3 |
|
|
| 1956 |
3.2 |
|
|
| 1957 |
3.3 |
|
|
| 1958 |
3.4 |
|
|
| 1959 |
3.4 |
|
|
| 1960 |
3.5 |
|
|
| 1961 |
3.5 |
|
|
| 1962 |
3.5 |
|
|
| 1963 |
3.4 |
|
|
| 1964 |
3.4 |
67.7 |
8.0 |
| 1965 |
3.4 |
64.2 |
8.5 |
| 1966 |
n.a. |
74.5 |
8.7 |
| 1967 |
n.a. |
70.9 |
9.8 |
| 1968 |
n.a. |
83.7 |
12.3 |
| 1969 |
n.a. |
83.7 |
10.8 |
| 1970 |
3.3 |
95.3 |
12.7 |
| 1971 |
3.3 |
86.9 |
12.1 |
| 1972 |
3.3 |
88.1 |
11.9 |
| 1973 |
3.3 |
88.7 |
11.9 |
| 1974 |
3.3 |
93.9 |
14.7 |
| 1975 |
3.3 |
81.3 |
13.2 |
| 1976 |
3.2 |
93.8 |
15.0 |
| 1977 |
3.2 |
84.1 |
13.8 |
| 1978 |
3.1 |
85.1 |
14.5 |
| 1979 |
2.9 |
74.3 |
12.1 |
| 1980 |
2.9 |
75.9 |
13.2 |
| 1981 |
2.9 |
73.5 |
13.7 |
| 1982 |
2.8 |
85.4 |
14.8 |
| 1983 |
2.6 |
72.2 |
14.7 |
| 1984 |
2.6 |
72.0 |
15.1 |
| 1985 |
2.5 |
76.5 |
17.3 |
| 1986 |
2.4 |
65.9 |
15.5 |
| 1987 |
2.3 |
68.7 |
16.7 |
| 1988 |
2.2 |
70.2 |
18.5 |
| 1989 |
2.1 |
75.1 |
21.4 |
| 1990 |
2.1 |
61.8 |
17.8 |
| 1991 |
2.0 |
58.4 |
17.4 |
| 1992 |
2.0 |
63.2 |
21.0 |
| 1993 |
1.8 |
55.7 |
19.1 |
| 1994 |
1.7 |
56.7 |
19.9 |
| 1995 |
1.7 |
51.6 |
19.1 |
| 1996 |
1.5 |
53.9 |
22.0 |
| 1997 |
1.5 |
52.6 |
22.6 |
| 1998 |
1.4 |
48.1 |
20.3 |
| 1999 |
1.4 |
46.0 |
20.0 |
| 2000 |
1.3 |
43.7 |
18.8 |
| 2001 |
1.2 |
40.6 |
19.0 |
| 2002 |
1.2 |
41.2 |
19.8 |
| 2003 |
1.3 |
38.3 |
18.9 |
| 2004 |
1.2 |
34.9 |
18.5 |
| 2005 |
1.2 |
32.0 |
16.6 |
| 2006 |
1.1 |
29.7 |
16.3 |
| 2007 |
n.a. |
31.2 |
16.6 |
| 2008 |
n.a. |
32.0 |
17.6 |
| 2009 |
n.a. |
29.2 |
16.8 |
n.a. = data not available for these years.
Notes
1. Deaths rates age standardised to the Australian population as at 30 June 2001.
2. COPD classified according to the International Statistical Classification of Disease (ICD), ICD7(1964–1967) — 501, 502 & 527; ICD8(1968–1978) — 490–492; ICD9(1979–1996) — 490–492 & 496; ICD10(1997–) — J40–J44. 1979-1996 death rates are adjusted to ICD10 standards using comparability factor of 0.93.
3. There are no data for tobacco consumption between 1966 and 1969, hence the gap in the line.
Sources
1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2011. GRIM (General Record of Incidence of Mortality) Books 2009 Series A. AIHW: Canberra.
2. A Scollo, MM and Winstanley, MH [editors]. Tobacco in Australia: Facts and Issues. Third Edition. Melbourne: Cancer Council Victoria; 2008.