Claycomo Plaza * 411 NE US HWY 69 * Claycomo, Mo. 64119 * FAX 816-413-0176
Claycomo Plaza * 411 NE
US HWY 69 * Claycomo, Mo. 64119 * FAX 816-413-0176
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Waukesha Freeman
Newspaper
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pulmonary disease An invisible killer is in our midst called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. You may well not even recognize the name, but COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. COPD is growing at such a rapid rate that it is expected to become the third leading cause of death by the year 2010. Just what is COPD? COPD is a progressive, terminal disease that causes the airways and alveoli in the lungs to lose their elasticity and causes the airway walls to collapse, closing off smaller airways and narrowing the larger ones. It is chronic and incurable. Long-term smokers, people exposed to air pollution or secondhand smoke and those with a family history of COPD are most at risk of contracting the disease. COPD, more commonly known as emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is the second greatest cause of disability. |
What can be done?
November has been proclaimed COPD Awareness Month and World COPD Awareness
Day is Nov. 17. Funding for research of this disease is very low and needs
to be increased if we are going to develop better treatments and
eventually, a cure. Please urge your representatives to increase National
Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
spending on research. If your area has a special educational event about
COPD, please attend. If you are at potential risk for COPD, please ask
your family doctor to test you. COPD is not usually diagnosed until people
have begun to show symptoms, and by that time they will have already lost
50 percent of their lung capacity. And, if you are a smoker, quit. Where can you go for further information about COPD? I am a member of Emphysema Foundation For Our Right To Survive, or EFFORTS, an online support and advocacy group with members from 34 countries. Visit www.emphysema.net to find out more. Ione Driggs, Muskego |