Longitudinal Aging Study in India reveals over 14% of Indians aged 45 plus may have obstructive lung disease, highlighting urgent health concerns.

A new study has revealed that more than 14% of Indians aged 45 and above could be living with obstructive lung disease, underscoring a growing public health challenge.

The findings come from the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI), the country's first and the world's largest database of older populations studied over time.

Conducted by an international team of researchers, including those from Mumbai's International Institute for Population Sciences, the study analysed over 31,000 adults using spirometry, a widely used test that measures lung function.

Published in the journal PLOS One, the analysis found that men are more likely to be affected than women, and the prevalence of the disease increases with age. Obstructive lung disease, including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), is characterised by lung damage, inflammation and restricted airflow. Alarmingly, awareness levels remain very low -- only 12% of men and 11% of women reported having a prior diagnosis despite suffering from the condition.

The researchers, from the University of Southern California and Harvard School of Public Health among others, have urged for nationwide awareness campaigns. They stressed that despite the high disease burden, quality data-driven estimates remain scarce. Risk factors also vary across regions -- smoking prevalence ranges from 30% in northern India to about 14% in western states. Similarly, the use of unclean cooking fuels is as high as 65% in the northeast, compared to about 30% in the south.

The LASI project covers over 73,000 adults across India, including 32,000 elderly participants, and is harmonised with similar health studies in 45 countries. Researchers said the second wave of data collection is currently underway, which is expected to provide deeper insights into the growing challenge of lung health in India.