The American Lung Association in Illinois has assessed the scope of COPD in Illinois. See the executive summary that provides a sampling of the findings for our multi-method assessment, including hospitalization and emergency department data from 2000-2009 provided by Illinois Department of Public Health Hospital Discharge Data and 2010 Health Care Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) commercial data set. A full report will be available through the American Lung Association in Illinois next month.  

1. COPD… Not an “old man’s disease”; COPD effects both middle-aged men and women.
2. One out of three (31.7% in 2009) Illinois residents who were hospitalized for COPD were under the age of 65, making COPD an employment issue.
3. COPD is expensive.  In 2009, the average hospitalization for COPD was $24,975, excluding professional fees.
4. In 2009, the total hospitalization charges for COPD in Illinois, excluding professional fees was over $1.1 billion.  The majority of COPD hospitalizations are preventable.
5. 80% of the $1.1 billion in charges were to Medicare or Medicaid – making COPD hospitalizations a tax payer issue.
6. 2007 was the first year that more females were hospitalized due to COPD than males in Illinois, a rate of 14.45 females per 1,000 population versus 14.38 for males.  This trend continued during 2008 and 2009.
7. The rate of COPD hospitalizations in Illinois in 2008 was greatest in rural and urban counties, and lowest in Chicago and the Metro Collar Counties.  The rate of hospitalizations in rural Illinois counties was nearly three times that of Metro Collar Counties.
8. According to the 2010 HEDIS aggregated commercial data set (excluding Medicare and Medicaid) for Illinois showed that only 35% of Illinois residents with COPD received a spirometry test in their assessment and diagnosis of COPD.  This is lower than the national average of 37.6%.  There is room for improvement in utilizing this gold standard for the diagnosis and management of COPD.  Spirometry is inexpensive.  An office spirometer costs less than $800 and trainings are available.  For two webinars on spirometry implementation and interpretation in the primary care practice, please click here.  
9. The average age for a COPD hospitalized patient is going down.  Between 2000 and 2009, the average age for a hospitalized patient with COPD has declined 1.5 years; from 71.8 years to 70.3.
10. In 2009, COPD was the PRIMARY reason for 3 percent of all hospitalizations in Illinois.

Summary
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is no longer a disease of elderly men; increasingly, it is a disease of both middle-aged men and women.  Each year, there are an average of 67,800 COPD hospitalizations in Illinois.  2007 was the first year that more females were hospitalized due to COPD than males, a rate of 14.45 females per 1000 population 45 years of age and older, versus 14.38 for males.  This trend continued during 2008 and 2009.

The rate of COPD diagnosis in women has caught up with the rate for men for several reasons.  One reason is that women’s lungs are more susceptible to developing COPD compared to men with the same exposure.  However, the main reason is an increase in tobacco use by women form the 1950s through the ‘90s. 

Background information
The American Lung Association in Illinois undertook this COPD surveillance study as the state’s leader in COPD patient and professional education.  This data will provide guidance to the goals and objectives listed in the May 2008 Illinois COPD State Plan.  In addition, this data will guide the future direction of the American Lung Association in Illinois and Greater Chicago.  This data has never before been available to health care and public health professionals in Illinois. 

As a result of this data, the American Lung Association in Illinois is forming the Illinois COPD Provider and Public Awareness Task Force.  For more information or to join this task force, contact Lori Younker at lori.younker@lungil.org or 217-787-5864.

For more information about the Scope of COPD in Illinois study, please contact Jill Heins Nesvold, director of respiratory health, at jill.heins@lungmn.org or 651-223-9578.