Whilst many deaths have been attributed to COVID19 - how many of...

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    Whilst many deaths have been attributed to COVID19 - how many of these deaths would have been as a result of the existing respiratory diseases

    Respiratory diseases impose an immense worldwide health burden. Five of these diseases are among most common causes of severe illness and death worldwide [1].
    • An estimated 65 million people have moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), from which about 3 million die each year, making it the third leading cause of death worldwide – and the numbers are increasing [2, 3].
    • About 334 million people suffer from asthma [4], which is the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting 14% of children globally. The prevalence of asthma in children is rising [5].
    • For decades, acute lower respiratory tract infections have been among the top three causes of death and disability among both children and adults. Although the burden is difficult
    to quantify, it is estimated that lower respiratory tract infection causes nearly 4 million deaths annually and is a leading cause of death among children under 5 years old [6]. Moreover, acute lower respiratory tract infections in children predispose for chronic respiratory diseases later in life. Respiratory tract infections caused by influenza kill between 250,000 and 500,000 people and cost between US$71 and 167 billion annually [7].
    • In 2015, 10.4 million people developed tuberculosis (TB) and 1.4 million people died from it [8].
    • The most common lethal neoplasm in the world is lung cancer, which kills 1.6 million people each year [9]; and the numbers are growing.
      In addition to these five, there are several respiratory disorders whose burden is great but less well quantified.
      • More than 100 million people suffer from sleep-disordered breathing [2].
      • Millions live with pulmonary hypertension [2].
      • More than 50 million people struggle with occupational lung diseases.
      Respiratory diseases account for more than 10% of all disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), a metric that estimates the amount of active and productive life lost due to a condition. Respiratory diseases are second only to cardiovascular diseases (including stroke) [10].
    • https://www.who.int/gard/publications/The_Global_Impact_of_Respiratory_Disease.pdf
 
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