Research predicts that vaping—in addition to smoking and air pollution—will increase the burden of COPD in Western Europe by 2050, while home NIV is expected to reduce mortality from COPD exacerbations.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- Projected Increase in COPD Burden by 2050: Research presented at ERS 2024 predicts that vaping, smoking, and air pollution will significantly increase the economic and public health burden of COPD in Western Europe by 2050.
- Impact of Vaping on COPD Costs and Health Outcomes: The research highlights vaping’s notable impact on COPD, with vaping alone forecasted to add an additional €3.78 billion annually to the region’s healthcare and societal costs.
- Home Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) Reduces Mortality Risk: A separate study showed that home NIV could reduce the mortality risk for COPD patients, with a 16% reduction following severe exacerbations.
ResMed presented 18 supported studies at ERS 2024, including research that projects vaping, smoking, and air pollution will substantially increase the economic and public health burden of COPD in Western Europe.
Annual direct and indirect costs are projected to reach over €170 billion by 2050, costing Western European economies over €4.9 trillion cumulatively by 2050. Vaping alone is forecast to require an additional €3.78 billion annually to support its impact on medical care and societal costs.
COPD poses a significant health and economic burden, further exacerbated by environmental and behavioral changes such as air pollution and vaping. Previous modeling work has focused on quantifying the burden of COPD across North America, accounting for tobacco smoking and air pollution.
The ResMed-supported research aimed to extend this US modeling by also accounting for the effects of vaping on the COPD burden in Western Europe.
Vaping Expected to have Notable Impact
The results were presented at ERS 2024 by Elroy Boers, PhD, lead health research scientist at ResMed. The model projected that, in addition to smoking and air pollution, vaping is going to have a notable economic and health impact on the burden of COPD into 2050, both cumulatively and annually.
2050 outcomes describing the relative increase associated with vaping (versus the scenario without vaping) were concluded to be:
- Direct costs are projected to relatively increase by 0.5% (cumulative) and 2.1% (annual)—representing a cumulative increase of €10 billion.
- Indirect costs are projected to relatively increase by 0.7% (cumulative) and 2.3% (annual)—representing a cumulative increase of €20 billion.
- The number of exacerbations is estimated to relatively increase by 0.3% or 1.6 million (cumulative) and 1.8% (annual)
- The number of hospitalizations is projected to increase by 0.2% or 190,000 (cumulative) and 3.3% (annual).
“To avoid escalating costs to public finances, additional strain on health services, and reduce loss of life from COPD, much greater action is required. Public health and advocacy efforts targeting known risk factors such as smoking, vaping, and ambient and household air pollution may be critical to prevent this anticipated burden,” says ResMed chief medical officer Carlos M. Nunez, MD, in a release.
The Role of Home NIV in Managing COPD
In a separate ResMed-supported study presented by professor Jean-Louis Pépin, Grenoble Alpes University, France, the role of home non-invasive ventilation (NIV) support in managing COPD was explored.
The study found that continued use of home NIV significantly reduces risk of death from COPD exacerbations, with a 16% reduction in mortality risk following severe exacerbations and a 12% reduction for those without exacerbations. The study involved nearly 50,000 adults with COPD who were treated via home NIV. The multistate model analysis estimated the impact of NIV continuation versus cessation on transitions between three different disease states (without severe exacerbation, severe exacerbation, and death).
“The positive impact of home NIV in reducing risk of death offers some comfort for those millions of people already suffering from COPD and those who will suffer in years to come. However, proactive work now on the part of potential patients and their loved ones to learn and recognize symptoms early, as well as preventative steps to reduce risk factors, will go a long way toward positively impacting hundreds of millions of lives worldwide,” Nunez says in a release. “Education and meaningful action are essential to curbing the number of people impacted by COPD and life-threatening events caused by these conditions.”
