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The Burden of Respiratory Disease in Canada
Most respiratory diseases are chronic in nature, and have a major impact on the lives of the people with the disease as well as family members, the community and the health care system. In 1998, they were the third most common reason for hospitalization and death. Respiratory diseases affect people of all ages and account for an estimated $13.6 billion in direct and indirect costs.1
Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, tuberculosis, and cystic fibrosis affect over 3 million Canadians. Other respiratory diseases include influenza and pneumonia, bronchiolitis, the common cold and respiratory distress syndrome.2 Since chronic respiratory disease is more prevalent in adults over the age of 65, the number of people with respiratory diseases will increase as the population ages. This can be seen in the 6 percent increase in hospital admissions from 1995 to 2000 for respiratory diseases among Canadians 65 years of age and older despite the general decline in hospitalizations for the total population during the same period.3
1 Economic Burden of Illness in Canada 1998, Health Canada, 2002
2 Respiratory Disease in Canada, Health Canada, September 2001
3 Canadian Institute of Health Information, Hospital Morbidity Database , 1996 & 2001
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