COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
COPD is a lung disease. It causes problems with your breathing because your lungs have trouble pushing “used” air out and may not have enough room left to take healthy air in.
COPD is not just one disease, it’s a group of diseases including chronic bronchitis (swelling and scarring of the main airways in the lungs) and emphysema (damage to the air sacs in the lungs). Patients can have one of these diseases or both. Asthma is not COPD. Asthma is a disease that affects the airways but is a different disease. Patients need different treatments for asthma and COPD.
COPD is typically caused by smoking, being around smoking, or working and/or living in an area polluted by dust and chemicals. Approximately 1 in 4 smokers get COPD. Once patients have COPD, it is a long-lasting disease that often gets worse over time, especially without treatment. 24 million Americans have impaired lung function and 50% don’t know they have COPD.
Do you have COPD? Take the COPD Quick Survey:
Your score will be recorded and the summary of scores may be used to help us evaluate the need for COPD therapy.
This survey asks questions about you, your breathing and what you are able to do. For each question below, check the best answer, then press “Get score total.”