... increased mortality is driven by the expanding epidemic of smoking and the changing demographics in most coun-tries, with more of the population living longer. Of these two forces, ... aging of the world’s population, projected increases in smoking rates, and projected declines in other causes of death such as diarrheal and HIVrelated diseases. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BURDEN OF ... also eosinophils in sputum and the airway wall. This is associated with increased concentrations of certain mediators, including TNF-α, LTB4 and IL-8, and an increase in biomarkers of oxidative...