Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a term referring to two lung diseases, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, that are characterized by obstruction to airflow that interferes with normal breathing. Both of these conditions frequently co-exist, hence physicians prefer the term COPD. It does not include other obstructive diseases such as asthma.

• COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in America, claiming the lives of 127,049 Americans in 2005


• This is the fifth consecutive year in which women have exceeded men in the number of deaths attributable to COPD. In 2005, almost 66,000 females died compared to 61,000 males.


• Smoking is the primary risk factor for COPD. Approximately 80 to 90 percent of COPD deaths are caused by smoking. Female smokers are nearly 13 times as likely to die from COPD as women who have never smoked. Male smokers are nearly 12 times as likely to die from COPD as men who have never smoked. Any current or former smoker over age 40 or never-smoker with a family history of COPD, emphysema or chronic bronchitis, those with exposure to occupational or environmental pollutants and those with a chronic cough, sputum (matter discharged from air passages) production or breathlessness, should seek testing for COPD with spirometry.


• Other risk factors of COPD include exposure to air pollution, second-hand smoke and occupational dusts and chemicals, heredity, a history of childhood respiratory infections and socioeconomic status. Particulate matter from cigarette smoke and air pollution, including smoke from poorly ventilated wood stoves and the burning of biomass, are related to lung damage.

This information and more can be found at www.lungusa.org.