Growing Awareness of COPD, Nation's Fourth Leading Killer.

National Institutes of Health analyzed results from the annual HealthStyles survey of American public health attitudes. The fourth leading cause of death in the United States, COPD is a serious lung disease affecting an estimated 24 million Americans. More than 12 million people are currently diagnosed with COPD and another 12 million may have COPD but remain undiagnosed despite recognizable symptoms. COPD typically affects people over 45, especially those who smoke or have smoked, and those with risk factors associated with genetics or environmental exposures. Smoking is attributed to as many as 9 out of ten COPD-related deaths, yet most survey respondents — 66 percent — did not recognize smoking as a risk factor. This was especially true among the current smokers surveyed. Just 22 percent recognized that their smoking puts them at greater risk for COPD.