Lungs

Lung Disease

Worldwide, chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) affect hundreds of millions, with COPD and asthma being major burdens, causing millions of deaths annually, driven largely by smoking and air pollution, though age-standardized rates for many CRDs have dropped, absolute numbers rise due to population growth, and pneumonia remains a leading infectious killer, especially for children. In 2021, roughly 468 million people lived with CRDs, with COPD causing 3.5 million deaths, while lung cancer kills 1.8 million yearly, and tuberculosis kills 1.6 million, highlighting significant global lung health challenges.