Urban-Rural County and State Differences in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - United States, 2015

What is already known about this topic? Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of death and has been diagnosed in 15.5 million adults in 2015 in the United States. Risk factors include tobacco exposure, occupational and environmental exposures, respiratory infections, and genetics. What is added by this report? In 2015, rural U.S. residents had higher age-adjusted prevalence of COPD, of Medicare hospitalizations, and deaths caused by COPD than did residents living in micropolitan or metropolitan areas. Several states with the highest percentages of rural populations also had the highest estimates for all three measures. What are the implications for public health practice? Additional efforts are needed to prevent risk factors and overcome barriers to early diagnosis, and the appropriate treatment and management of COPD. Improving access to such health care might improve quality of life and reduce hospital readmissions among COPD patients and reduce COPD mortality. © 2018, Department of Health and Human Services. All rights reserved.