On the Rise: Lung Disease Deaths

In recent decades, the United States has seen an increase in deaths from chronic respiratory diseases, according to a new study.

Although this upward trend varied from place to place, the overall increase in the rate of death came in at nearly 30 percent since 1980.

Using nationwide data, the authors of this study found that 4,616,711 people died from respiratory diseases in the US between 1980 and 2014. During that time period, the proportion of people dying from these diseases increased overall.

Individually, death rates from certain respiratory diseases increased at varying levels. For instance, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) deaths increased by 30.8 percent. Meanwhile, deaths from interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis increased by a whopping 100.5 percent.

This study didn't examine the reasons behind the increase in deaths from respiratory disease.

Respiratory disease is a leading cause of death and disability in the US. If you are concerned about your respiratory health, speak with your health care provider.

This study was published in JAMA.

Information on study funding sources and potential conflicts of interest was not available at the time of publication.