title: Epidemiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a population-based study in Krasnoyarsk region, Russia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Krasnoyarsk region is a territory with the widespread risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) such as tobacco smoke, air pollution, and occupational exposure. An assessment of COPD prevalence based on medical diagnosis statistics underestimates the true COPD prevalence. This study aims to evaluate how medical examinations may increase the accuracy of estimates of COPD prevalence.
  
  
  METHODS
  True COPD prevalence was estimated as a number of patients with the established disease diagnosis supplemented by the additional disease cases detected during medical examinations per 1,000 inhabitants of the region. Official medical statistics data and the data collected from the Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases program 2011 among 15,000 inhabitants of the region aged 18 years and older were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This study revealed the COPD cases without official medical diagnosis. The true prevalence of COPD is estimated to be two times higher than the prevalence estimates based on medical diagnosis statistics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Undiagnosed and untreated cases of COPD result in severe COPD forms as well as addition of severe comorbidities. Because of this, there is an increase in the index of potential years of life lost. Conducting special medical examinations may increase the number of COPD cases detected at the early stages of the disease. This, in turn, may reduce the overall burden of the disease for the population of the region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Care Management, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Ivan P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Artyukhov
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Health Care, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Irina L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Arshukova
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Health Care, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Elena A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Dobretsova
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Health Care, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Tatyana A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Dugina
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Health Care, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Andrey V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Shulmin
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Diseases, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Irina V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Demko
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: COPD; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; epidemiology; prevalence