A recent survey showed that about 61 percent of Taiwanese with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) also have cardiovascular disease (CVD), the Taiwan Society of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine said.
WHO data showed that COPD is the fourth-biggest cause of death globally, group president Chen Yu-min (陳育民) said, adding that according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, more than 6,000 people die of the disease annually in Taiwan.
The group during a news conference on Wednesday cited as an example a 67-year-old man with COPD who loss consciousness by the side of a road after experiencing chest tightness.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
The man was rushed to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with heart failure, the group said, adding that such cases are not rare.
Since the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease’s guidelines this year said that COPD significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, the agency added cardiovascular comorbidities in its latest survey, Chen said.
Among 1,240 respondents with COPD, up to 61 percent reported having cardiovascular diseases, he added.
Physician Su Kang-cheng (蘇剛正) said COPD took 6,193 lives and was the eighth-biggest cause of deaths in Taiwan last year, but it might also be closely associated with the top three causes of death — cancer, heart disease and pneumonia.
Smoking and COPD are the main causes of lung cancer, COPD significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and COPD weakens respiratory defenses and potentially increases susceptibility to infection, he said.
The survey found that people who experienced acute exacerbation of COPD have a 4.6 times higher risk of suffering a cardiovascular event, Su said, adding that even after six months or a year after the acute exacerbation, they still face a higher risk of a cardiovascular event.
According to the survey, quitting smoking reduces the risk of COPD exacerbation by 31 percent and risk of a cardiovascular event by 25 percent, while getting vaccinated against respiratory infections and undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation reduce the risk of COPD exacerbation by 12 percent and 17 percent respectively, he said.
The group suggested that people stop smoking, get vaccinated, undergo pulmonary rehabilitation, use a COPD inhaler regularly and make sure they get enough nutrition to manage COPD and prevent it from worsening, Su said.
National Health Insurance Administration Director-General Chen Lian-yu (陳亮妤) said a Pay-for-Performance program, which financially incentivizes healthcare providers to meet quality targets — has been in place for COPD treatment since 2017.
After discussions with medical societies, the quality standards would be modified and enacted from Jan. 1 next year, she said, adding that there would be an additional NT$25 million (US$805,283) in funding.
The new standard aims to ensure that at least 70 percent of the payment goes directly to frontline healthcare providers, she said.
Health Promotion Administration Director-General Shen Ching-fen (沈靜芬) said that among the group’s COPD management suggestions, smoking cessation is the most important.
About 99.5 percent of contracted hospitals and clinics have smoking cessation services, Shen added.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
RSS