Global burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease attributable to air pollution among older adults from Global Burden of Disease 2021

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) poses a notable challenge to public health, with air pollution being a leading environmental risk factor. Given the population aging and growing prominence of air pollution, a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the COPD burden attributable to air pollution among the elderly population is of crucial practical significance. We extracted data from Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021, using the deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) as the measure. We described the COPD burden attributed to air pollution by age, sex, socio-demographic index (SDI), and nation. Additionally, decomposition analysis, frontier analysis, cross-country inequality analysis, and projections to 2050 were performed. Globally, the air pollution COPD accounted for more than 1.7 million deaths and 33 million DALYs in 2021, with the trend of either decreasing or remaining stable. Over the past few decades, low SDI regions, males, and the elderly bear relatively higher disease burden, and cross-country inequalities persist. Overall, the majority of air pollution-related COPD burden was expected to decrease by 2050, while the COPD burden attributed to ambient particulate matter pollution was predicted to increase by 2050 in both sexes. COPD burden attributable to air pollution remains a public health challenge. These findings provide a theoretical basis to plan control measures and allocate healthcare resources rationally.