Question 28

What is the public health impact of COPD, particularly in Asia?

Exacerbations of COPD have a major effect everywhere – they are influenced by extremely pervasive social, environmental and occupational factors such as smoking, air quality, and occupational exposure. This may mean the problem is more severe in developing countries, with high rates of smoking and less stringent environmental and occupational health standards. ABECOPD imposes a huge financial, social and health care burden on countries, and effective treatment can reduce these costs tremendously. Therefore, agents such as levofloxacin that can be prescribed orally in an effective regimen which are associated with less time in hospital, less time on IV therapy, and a shorter duration of therapy, are likely to be the most cost-effective options for managing ABECOPD.