SYDNEY, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Breathlessness drains billions of dollars from the Australian economy every year through lost productivity and direct health costs, a study published on Monday found.

According to the study by the George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, dyspnoea -- breathlessness that is not associated with strenuous exercise -- costs the economy 12.2 billion Australian dollars (8.18 billion U.S. dollars) every year.

The study of more than 10,000 Australians found that 10 percent of the country's adult population live with clinically significant breathlessness. Of the respondents affected by breathlessness, 73.7 percent were under 65 years of age.

It found that people living with the condition are more likely to be unemployed and have a diminished quality of life.

Dyspnoea affects people with multiple conditions including lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and heart disease, as well as people with no diagnosed disease.

"While many studies have looked at the impact on quality of life and productivity of diseases known to cause breathlessness, like COPD or lung cancer, none that we are aware of have explored these economic and social costs in all populations, including people that have no other disease," Anthony Sunjaya, lead author of the research from The George Institute for Global Health and University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, said in a media release.

Of the total annual economic cost of breathlessness, the report said 11.1 billion Australian dollars (7.44 billion U.S. dollars) is from healthcare use.

People with breathlessness are twice as likely to need an annual urgent visit to their general practitioner (GP), the report said.

It warned that the prevalence of breathlessness in Australia is likely to increase due to the negative impacts on cardiopulmonary health from increasing obesity, air pollution and climate-induced weather events such as fires and dust storms. Enditem

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