Social burden of COPD in Korea analyzed

The incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Korea has climbed rapidly for the past four years (1999-2002) and this will likely exert a large social, medical and economic burden in the years to come, a local professor said recently.

COPD refers to a number of chronic lung disorders that obstruct the airways. The most common form of COPD is a combination of chronic bronchi...