Pulmonary Function Screening for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is characterized by obstruction to airflow that interferes with normal breathing. It includes two lung diseases, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

• COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in America, claiming 122,283 lives in 2003 and the number of women dying with COPD has now surpassed the number of men.

• Smoking is the primary risk factor for COPD. Approximately 80 to 90 percent of COPD deaths are caused by smoking. Female smokers are 13 times more likely to die from COPD as women who have never smoked. Male smokers are nearly 12 times as likely to die from COPD.

• Other risk factors for COPD include air pollution, second hand smoke, history of childhood respiratory infections and heredity.

• In 2004, 11.4 million U.S. adults (age 18 and over) were estimated to have COPD. However, close to 24 million U.S. adults have evidence of impaired lung function indicating an under diagnosis of COPD.

In 2004, the cost to the nation for COPD was approximately $37.2 billion, including healthcare expenditures of $20.9 billion in direct health care costs, $7.4 billion in indirect morbidity costs, and $8.9 billion in indirect mortality costs.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD) is an extremely common disease, but it is relatively asymptomatic early in its course. Based on physician diagnosis, probably only half of COPD cases are identified in its early stages. If screening spirometry was performed routinely on the at risk population of smokers, COPD could be detected early and lifestyle changes and treatments would decrease the effects of this disabling and lethal disease.