Dickinson-Iron County Critical Health Indicators

Home              Critical Health Indicator Index         PDF View/Download

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Deaths

What Is It?

COPD is comprised of many conditions such as emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma. In emphysema, the small air sacs in the lung called alveoli are destroyed. With bronchitis, the lining of the airways that lead to the lungs becomes irritated, inflamed, and swollen. Asthma causes the airways of the lungs to tighten, swell, and fill with mucus. COPD deaths can be reduced by changes in lifestyle, such as quitting smoking.

How are Dickinson and Iron Counties doing?

The COPD death rate in Dickinson County is 66.8 and Iron County is 85.8 per 100,000 population.

Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases Deaths and Death Rates
Iron County Residents, 1995-2000

Three-Year Moving Averages
Year All Ages Age Under 50 Age 50 - 74 Age 75 and Older
Average
 Age-Adjusted
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate
1998-2000 9.3 37.7 ±14.7   0.3 *    4.0 100.5 ±28.9   5.0 280.1 ±25.8  
1997-1999 8.0 33.0 ±14.0   0.3 *    3.7 92.1 ±30.2   4.0 225.7 ±28.9  

Five-Year Moving Averages
Year All Ages Age Under 50 Age 50 - 74 Age 75 and Older
Average
 Age-Adjusted
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate
1996-2000 9.4 38.7 ±11.7   0.4 *    3.6 90.3 ±23.6   5.4 305.5 ±19.2  
1995-1999 9.8 40.3 ±11.9   0.4 *    3.6 90.2 ±23.6   5.8 331.5 ±18.6  
Note: The manner in which underlying cause of death is coded and classified was revised in 1999 to reflect changing medical opinion and practice. The comparability between classification schemes for this particular cause of death is lower (1.05), meaning that caution should be taken in drawing specific inferences from comparisons of mortality statistics over time.

Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases Deaths and Death Rates
Dickinson County Residents, 1995-2000

Three-Year Moving Averages
Year All Ages Age Under 50 Age 50 - 74 Age 75 and Older
Average
 Age-Adjusted
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate
1998-2000 15.7 38.3 ±11.2   - -    5.3 79.8 ±25.0   10.3 379.2 ±18.0  
1997-1999 14.0 34.7 ±10.7   - -    5.0 75.3 ±25.8   9.0 334.2 ±19.2  

Five-Year Moving Averages
Year All Ages Age Under 50 Age 50 - 74 Age 75 and Older
Average
 Age-Adjusted
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate
1996-2000 13.0 32.2 ±8.0   - -    4.6 69.4 ±20.9   8.4 313.5 ±15.4  
1995-1999 12.2 30.4 ±7.8   - -    4.4 66.7 ±21.3   7.8 295.9 ±16.0  
Note: The manner in which underlying cause of death is coded and classified was revised in 1999 to reflect changing medical opinion and practice. The comparability between classification schemes for this particular cause of death is lower (1.05), meaning that caution should be taken in drawing specific inferences from comparisons of mortality statistics over time.



How is the State of Michigan doing?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and allied conditions are the fourth leading cause of all deaths in Michigan and the seventh leading cause of Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) for people below the age of 75.

In 2000, there were 4,348 deaths due to COPD and allied conditions in Michigan. The age-adjusted rate for COPD related deaths was 45.2 per 100,000 population in Michigan, and 38 for Dickinson/Iron Counties. The 3-year average COPD death rate has remained fairly consistent during the past 10 years.

How do Dickinson and Iron Counties compare with Michigan and the U.S.?



Source: Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, MDCH

Michigan's 1998-2000 Three-Year Average, age-adjusted death rate of 45.2, Dickinson County's of 38.3, and Iron County's at 37.7, were lower than the U.S. rate of 45.5 . COPD and allied conditions were the fourth leading cause of all deaths in the U.S. and the eighth leading cause of YPLL in 1997.

How are different populations affected?

In Michigan, 86 percent of COPD deaths occurred to individuals aged 65 or older in 2000.

Men are also more likely to die of COPD and allied conditions. In 2000, the age-adjusted rate was57.1 for men and 39 for women. The difference between men and women is becoming less pronounced. This may be related to changing patterns of smoking.

The age-adjusted rate of death from COPD is generally higher for whites than for African-Americans. The rate for whites in Michigan was 46.7, while the African-American rate was 31.

What other information is important to know?

The first symptom of emphysema is usually shortness of breath. An individual is considered to have chronic bronchitis if they have a cough that produces mucus most days for at least 6 months in one year, or three months in each of two consecutive years. An asthma attack may be triggered by pollen, mold, dust, weather changes, strong odors, cigarette smoke, certain foods, strong emotions, a cold or the flu, or being near furry or feathered animals.

Smoking is responsible for more than 80 percent of COPD.

What are the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department and the Michigan Department of Community Health doing to affect this indicator?

As smoking is a major cause of COPD, the department is actively working to decrease the use of tobacco. Programs to reduce tobacco use include promoting strong public and voluntary policies to increase awareness of the danger of tobacco use and; to prevent the sale and promotion of tobacco to youth; and to provide a statewide media campaign with prevention, cessation and secondhand smoke messages. Initiatives include Medicaid coverage for smoking cessation products, developing a pilot telephone-based cessation support program for Medicaid patients, and offering self-help cessation kits and tobacco related information. Training is also provided for health professionals and other service providers to recognize and treat nicotine addiction.