Millions of people have COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. In fact, COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. COPD is a lung condition that makes it more and more difficult to breath. Both chronic bronchitis and emphysema are part of COPD.

COPD can affect your life as early as your early 40's. Both men and women can get it.     Tobacco smoke causes between 80-90% of all cases of COPD. In fact, a smoker is ten times more likely than a non-smoker to die of COPD.

Another cause of COPD is exposure to indoor or outdoor pollutants. If your job exposes you to toxic chemicals and pollutants, you will also have increased odds of developing COPD. A recent study found that an estimated 19.2% of COPD was attributed in part to work-related exposure.

The symptoms of COPD include shortness of breath, chronic cough, an increase and/or decrease in sputum, wheezing and chest tightness.

COPD and asthma are two different conditions, but they are often confused. The recommended treatments for COPD and asthma are not the same.

For more information about COPD and how to live with it, come to Bugbee Senior Center at 12:30 pm on Tuesday, Oct. 18th to hear a presentation by Linda Phelps, RN.