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NOVEMBER is COPD Awareness Month!

Thomas3.20.2010
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 On behalf of the 24 million Americans living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and a disease that kills one person every four minutes, the COPD Foundation is leading the call for increased research initiatives, enhanced screening and diagnosis, improved treatment and therapies, and heightened public awareness during November, COPD Awareness Month and November 16, 2011, World COPD Day.

"For those who remain undiagnosed, this month-long campaign holds particular importance since widespread recognition of COPD's symptoms will enable early detection and help to improve the efficacy of treatment and pulmonary rehabilitation," says John W. Walsh, President and Co-Founder of the COPD Foundation. "Our goal is to facilitate more screenings and improved levels of diagnosis, drive the development of effective therapies, as well as to inform, empower and engage patients."

COPD encompasses a group of lung diseases, including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, refractory asthma and bronchiectasis. The most common symptoms are breathlessness (or a "need for air"), abnormal sputum (a mix of saliva and mucus in the airway), and a chronic cough. Daily activities, such as walking up a short flight of stairs or taking a shower, can become very difficult as the condition gradually worsens. The primary cause of COPD is tobacco smoke (including second-hand or passive exposure).

During a Congressional Briefing in early October, the U.S. COPD Coalition announced their resolution to "Go Orange", declaring orange the official color of COPD Awareness. "Air quality is of great concern to those with chronic respiratory problems, and the color orange is used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality Index to represent days with unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups, including people with lung disease," Walsh adds.

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About the Author
63 years old. 20 year smoker. 11 Years FREE! Diagnosed with COPD. Choosing a Quality LIFE! It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. -Galatians 5:1