COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) kills more than 120,000 adults each year — one death every four minutes on average, or more than breast cancer and diabetes combined.
In COPD, sometimes referred to as emphysema or chronic bronchitis, the tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs are partially blocked, which makes it hard to breathe.
“Yet people go undiagnosed and untreated because they don’t recognize the symptoms,” says James P. Kiley, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
The institute has launched a public service announcement campaign to highlight common COPD signs and symptoms, including frequent shortness of breath, chronic cough, wheezing and excessive phlegm production. Kiley discusses the disease.
Q. you indicate that this serious health problem is often associated with former smokers.
A. too many people think it’s part of getting older or being out of shape. Smoking accounts for as many as nine out of 10 COPD-related deaths. However, as many as one out of six people who have COPD never smoked.
Q. if not from smoking, what causes COPD?
A. it can be environmental — exposure to chemicals, dusts and pollutants as well as from exposure to secondhand smoke. Doctors just can’t say to stop smoking and the disease threat will never happen or go away.
Lower- and middle-income women seem to be particularly vulnerable, although many have never smoked.
In can be the result of indoor pollution, a not-well-ventilated environment, as well as poorly ventilated homes.
We are not sure why we have a continuing growing number of nonsmoking women getting the disease.
Q. it takes awhile for the disease to appear in former heavy smokers, I understand.
A. it takes quite a long time for most people — even those who were heavy smokers — to develop the disease. But, of course, the boomer population is aging.
We have had a good effect in lowering the smoking rates in this country, but there are people in the pipeline who still will get lung cancer and COPD as a result of smoking years ago.
Q. What can you do to help people find out if they have COPD?
A. well, we need to get people to recognize the symptoms and to talk to their health care providers. There is a simple breathing test called spirometry that is quick and painless and can be taken at a doctor’s office.
There is no cure for COPD, but the earlier a person gets diagnosed and receives treatment, the better their chance to improve quality of life. It’s all a matter of better education.
Q. People are living longer these days. Does that contribute to more cases?
A. well, yes, it could.
There also is a genetic version of the disease that is not lethal but also produces almost the same manifestations of COPD. One in five persons with the disease has a genetic background. Perhaps with further research, we can learn about protective genes.
Q. There are commercials on TV that feature an inhaler.
A. That’s the drug commonly used.
Another treatment that improves lung conditions and even prolongs life is exercise.
There also are resources available to people to quit if they are still smoking.
Q. bottom line?
A. if you do or have smoked, you may have the symptoms or be susceptible to COPD. it is a treatable disease and we have tools available to improve you quality of life. But you must see your health care professional.
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Jane Glenn Haas writes for the Orange County (Calif.) Register. E-mail her at