Lung Health Awareness Month - November 2015

What is Lung Disease?

Lung Disease in Australia Report

A new report prepared especially for Lung Foundation Australia by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research reveals lung disease contributes to more than 10 per cent of the overall health burden in Australia.

This report summarises in one place, and for the first time, information about the overall prevalence, burden and impact of lung disease in Australia.

Lung Disease in Australia summarises information on chronic respiratory disease (including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and others), respiratory infections (influenza, pneumonia, etc) and respiratory neoplasms, including lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Key statistics from the report:

Lung disease contributes to more than 10 per cent of the overall health burden in Australia
Mortality due to lung disease is significant with 14%, or one in seven deaths in 2012, a result of lung disease
The report found lung disease was the cause of:
276,505 hospitalisations in 2011-12, representing 2.99% of all hospitalisations
more than 1.4 million hospital patient-days in 2011-12, representing 5.07% of all patient-days
Among people with lung disease in Australia:
Lower respiratory infections are the leading cause of hospitalisation
Asthma represents the leading cause of disability
Lung cancer represents the leading cause of death (40% of deaths from lung disease)
COPD contributes one-third of the burden
COPD contributes almost one-third of all deaths.