Characterization of Respiratory Disability in the Adult Population of the Rostov Region

Abstract

Introduction: Disability resulting from diseases of the respiratory system is a complex problem for the health care and social security systems. The prevalence of chronic lung diseases keeps growing. Our objective was to analyze the rates of initial and recurrent respiratory disability in the adult population of the Rostov Region in 2014–2018 and to compare them with those registered in the Southern Federal District and the Russian Federation. Material and methods: We used information about initial and recurrent respiratory disability in adults from the electronic database of the unified information and analytical system of medical and social expertise of the Rostov Region and digests of the Federal Bureau of Medical and Social Expert Examination of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation for 2014–2018. We applied methods of data copying, descriptive statistics (estimation of extensive and intensive indicators, significance tests (p)), analytical and comparative analysis. Results: The analysis of adult respiratory disability in the Rostov Region in 2014–2018 showed a decrease in the number of adults with initial and recurrent disability. The proportion of initial cases tended to decrease and was similar to the Russian average rate but exceeded that in the Southern Federal District while the proportion of recurrent disability cases increased. The rates of initial respiratory disability in the adult population of the Rostov Region and the Russian Federation were comparable. The regional proportion of young people with respiratory disability was 42.2 % in contrast to the Southern Federal District and the Russian Federation where elderly cases prevailed (42.0 % and 48.7 %, respectively). In terms of severity of disability, grade II disability cases prevailed (50.4 %) in the Rostov Region as opposed to the Southern Federal District and the Russian Federation with higher proportions of persons with disability grade III (62.3 % and 72.0 %, respectively). The recurrent disability rate showed a rising trend and was higher than the intensive indicator in the Southern Federal District but lower than that in the Russian Federation. The majority of regional cases with recurrent respiratory disability were young and middle-aged (40.5 % and 40.2 %, respectively); the proportion of young cases tended to increase while that of the middle-aged showed a downward trend. In the Southern Federal District and the Russian Federation, most recurrent cases were middle-aged or elderly (37.8 % and 35.3 %) and elderly or middle-aged (39.0 % and 35.1 %), respectively. The rate of recurrent respiratory disability among young people in the Rostov Region was twice as high as in the Southern Federal District and the Russian Federation. In terms of severity of recurrent respiratory disability, grade III disability was most prevalent in all territories but in the Rostov Region its proportion was lower than in the areas of comparison. The proportion of people with grade II disability tended to decrease but was still higher than in the Southern Federal District and the Russian Federation. Conclusions: Our findings will allow a more accurate assessment of severity of impairments and vital activity limitations in adults with respiratory disability and help plan appropriate age and sex-specific rehabilitation measures contributing to effective rehabilitation and habilitation actions and successful social integration of a disabled person.