November is COPD month

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease kills 165,000 Americans every year, more than in the past four wars combined. 30 million have COPD and 12-15 million don’t even know it. COPD is the No. 3 killer among chronic diseases, yet it is 165th in government funding.

Though the main cause of COPD is smoking; non-smokers can get COPD too. 25% of COPD patients never smoked a day in their lives … but family members did.

COPD death rates for women have risen steadily. Today, more women than men die from COPD each year. Despite rapidly rising illness and death rates due to COPD, awareness of COPD among the general public and those at greatest risk for the disease remains low.

“COPD has an image problem,” says Ted Koppel, senior contributor to “CBS Sunday Morning,” whose wife Grace Anne was diagnosed with the disease 16 years ago. Grace Anne Koppel calls it the “Rodney Dangerfield of diseases,” because, “it don’t get no respect.” This is sad, for the third leading cause of death we should be spending more money toward finding a cure.

I say to you if you smoke, stop. If you don’t smoke, thank you!

Earl Moore. RRT

Spokane