Survey on respiratory diseases prevalence in Italy (2008)

In Europe, respiratory diseases have a total cost of approximately €100 billion per year (€118 per capita), driven mainly by lost working hours (€48.3 billion), followed by hospital admissions (€17.8 billion). Direct costs absorb about 6% of the total EU health budget.
In 2006, 35,427 people died in Italy from respiratory diseases, while 33,275 died from malignant tumours of the trachea, bronchi and lungs, making a total of 68,702. Respiratory diseases are now among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Their incidence is constantly increasing: the WHO estimates that in 2020 these diseases will be the third leading cause of death in the world.
This survey is the result of a collaboration between Eurispese and the chair of thoracic surgery at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome, directed by Prof. Claudio Mineo. It is intended to comprehensively investigate the characteristics of the spread of respiratory diseases in order to identify the main areas of criticality and propose an articulated intervention model.