Did You Know That:
In 2010, the US government was projected to have spent $49.9 billion in direct and indirect costs related to COPD. A majority of those expenses are due to hospitalizations, which can be prevented with better diagnosis and management practices.
The World Health Organization estimates 210 million individuals worldwide have COPD and total deaths are expected to increase more than thirty percent in the next ten years.
Smoking is not the only cause of COPD; second-hand smoke, occupational dust and chemicals, air pollution and genetic factors also cause this disease.
COPD is relatively easy to diagnose using a spirometry machine, where the patient exhales as much as possible into a tube.
There’s no cure yet for COPD but treatments are available to help individuals live with their COPD.
