HYDERABAD: Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are witnessing a severe trend of respiratory diseases (COPD -Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disorders). Around 19,000 deaths were reported in Telangana and 29,000 deaths in AP due to COPD out of 8.48 lakh deaths across India in 2016. Similarly, around 4,000 deaths in Telangana and 6,000 deaths in Andhra were reported due to asthma in 2016 of the 1.83 lakh asthma deaths in the country.A recent Lancet study revealed that though the situation is better in the two Telugu states when compared nationally, AP has a higher risk of asthma prevalence than Telangana. Air pollution, tobacco consumption and occupation risks were blamed for the high COPD prevalence.India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative CRD Collaborators in Lancet 2018 September publication revealed that the prevalence of COPD was the highest in the north in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Asthma prevalence in 2016 was highest in the northeast states and Kerala.Researchers found that the next highest asthma prevalence was in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.Dr S Mallikarjun Rao, a senior pulmonologist at Apollo Hospitals , told TOI, "Asthma is a genetic disease triggered by factors like humidity. Andhra Pradesh is on the sea coast and has a high incidence of asthma. It is reversible with medication. The onset of asthma starts at an early stage where patients experience cough, breathlessness and suffer asthma attacks." He added, "COPD that affects lungs is a progressive, permanent disorder that affects mostly the elderly. Patients feel breathlessness, swelling of the face and are not able to walk. It is a lifelong disorder and decreases quality of life. COPD is due to smoking, and around 90% of patients have a smoking history. In the OPD relating to the pulmonology wing, 70% of cases fall in COPD or asthma categories."The study was conducted in 29 states and Union Territories.

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