2019-04-042019-04-042013RABAHI, Marcelo F. Epidemiologia da DPOC: enfrentando desafios. Pulmão RJ, Rio de Janeiro, v. 22, n. 2, p. 4-8, 2013.1415-4315http://repositorio.bc.ufg.br/handle/ri/17374The worldwide increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases has been greatly influenced by exposure to tobacco and other environmental pollutants, as well as climate variations. Among such diseases, COPD merits special attention, being responsible for 3 million deaths each year (5% of deaths from all causes), a number that is predicted to grow progressively. Various factors (the aging of the population, the recognition of COPD as a systemic disease, and the epidemic proportions of COPD-related multimorbidity) have contributed to the development of a new epidemiological perspective on COPD, which has increased the complexity of its management. Another change refers to the fact that COPD is among the few diseases that present proportional growth as a cause of death, and the numbers change when we stratify deaths by gender, showing a proportional increase among women, reflecting the global trend in the data related to smoking, the proportion of female smokers having increased. Genetic alterations, family history, vitamin D deficiency, and exposure to smoke from biomass burning (for heating or food preparation) are the new epidemiological paradigms in the genesis of COPD. The current epidemiological characteristics of COPD truly represent a great challenge.porAcesso AbertoDoença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica/epidemiologiaHábito de fumarEnvelhecimentoPulmonary diseaseChronic obstructive/epidemiologySmokingAgingArtigo