Fast Facts About COPD

1. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.

2. In 2000, approximately 119,000 Americans died of COPD.

3. COPD's prevalence and death rate are rising. In 2020, COPD is projected to become the third leading cause of death in the United States.

4. COPD has a higher mortality rate than asthma (5,438 deaths from asthma in 1998 versus 107,000 deaths from COPD in 1998.

5. The COPD death rate for females more than doubled between 1980 and 2000 and the number of deaths for feamils surpassed the nuumber for males in 2000.

6. About 24 million adults have evidence of imparied lung function indicating that COPD is underdiagnosed because only 12.1 million have been diagnosed with COPD in 2001.

7. In 2000, the annual cost to the nation for COPD was estimated to be approximately $32.1 billion. Health care expenditures accounted for $18 billion, and indirect costs (decreased income due to loss of work or premature death) were $14.1 billion.

8. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD and has been implicated in 80 to 90 percent of cases, although the disease is also caused by occupational exposure and genetic susceptibility.

9. The onset of COPD most often develops in smokers and former smokers who are in their mid-40s.

10. The most important step in treating COPD is to encourage smoking cessation.