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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD,
obstructs airflow to the lungs causing emphysema and
bronchitis. The seriousness of this disease is underscored
by the following:
• Symptoms include chronic cough,
shortness of breath, increase mucous production and
frequent clearing of throat.
• It's the 4th leading cause of
death behind cardiac diseases, cancers and stroke and
responsible for 177,000 deaths in the U.S. annually.
• In Chicago, there are approximately
500,000 people living with COPD who are unaware of their
illness.
• The growth of COPD in women
is now out pacing the incidence in men.
• Long-term smoking is responsible
for 60%
to 90% of COPD. Smokers are 10 times more likely than
nonsmokers to die from COPD.
• Other risk factors are air pollution,
occupational hazards, second hand smoke, heredity and
childhood respiratory disease.
• Later stages of COPD cause heart
failure and possible death. |
