The inclusion of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) into China's basic public health service program is expected to boost awareness of the disease and improve treatment capabilities on the grassroots level, a senior health expert said on Wednesday.

COPD is a chronic condition that can cause restricted airflow and breathing problems. Common risk factors include smoking and inhalation of fumes, chemicals and dust. In China, the disease affects about 100 million people and kills one million annually.

The burgeoning health burden has prompted authorities to add the disease to the nation's basic public health service program in September. The program already covers high blood pressure and diabetes and promises free access to regular checkups and health management services for patients.

Yang Ting, deputy director of the National Center for Respiratory Medicine, based at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, said that according to a survey carried out about a decade ago, only about nine percent of participants recognized the disease, compared with over 60 percent for high blood pressure and diabetes.

"Adding COPD to the national program will help improve awareness and knowledge about the disease, which is among the first key steps to promote early diagnosis and treatment," she said.

She added that the move is expected to improve diagnosis and treatment capabilities of grassroots health facilities so that not all patients have to swarm to major hospitals to receive standard treatment and asymptomatic patients can be promptly detected.

Yang said that in the past, some patients neglected complying with medicine regimens or health advice after being released from hospitals.

"In the most extreme case, I met a patient who was admitted into hospital 13 times a year due to acute exacerbations of symptoms," she said. "If we can connect hospital-based therapies with home-based health management, these patients can be taken care of better."

Yang said the program is also expected to accelerate efforts to integrate healthcare resources for respiratory diseases and public health services. For instance, lung function examinations and questionnaires can be rolled out targeting smokers, so as to look for early signs of the disease and help them quit smoking.