Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects an estimated 25 million people in the United States alone. By 2020, the Centers for Disease Control predicted COPD will be the 3rd leading cause of death behind cancer and heart disease.
Despite the valiant efforts of various COPD foundations and organizations to raise awareness for the disease, COPD rates continue to rise. Not only do COPD rates continue to rise, but the cost of COPD is exploding for individuals and the United States as a whole.
The good news is, most COPD cases are preventable with the exception of Alpha-1. By increasing education, research funding, and public awareness we can reverse the trend or rates rising and we can diagnose COPD earlier, making treatments more effective.
Below are some staggering statistics about COPD and how the lack of COPD awareness is detrimental to proactively treating and managing the disease.
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