Pulmonary disease a big health threat

Nearly 100 million people across country have chronic condition

China has nearly 100 million people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, placing the respiratory condition among the country's biggest public health challenges, a national study has found.

Starting mid-2012, the three-year nationwide study covered nearly 51,000 participants 20 years or older. The findings were published recently in the international medical journal The Lancet.