What is COPD?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease that limits the amount of air flow in and out of the airway, making it difficult to breathe.¹ Inflammation in the airways from COPD can cause airway swelling and narrowing, damage and destruction of the air sacs (called alveoli) responsible for exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide, and increased mucous which can clog and block airflow.^1,2 This results in less air flow in and out of the lungs, which means less oxygen in the blood to nourish the organs and tissues of the body.¹COPD is a chronic condition, which means you live with it every day, and it is progressive, meaning it gets worse over time.¹

Chronic bronchitis (airway swelling and narrowing) and emphysema (alveolar damage) are the most common types of COPD.¹ COPD is diagnosed by your healthcare provider by taking the information from your medical history, findings from your physical examination and evaluation of your breathing with a spirometry test. While there currently is no cure, there are ways to manage and treat COPD.¹

Chronic Bronchitis vs Emphysema

COPD Rapid Stats

In 2022, 11.7 million people, or 4.6% of adults, reported a diagnosis of COPD (chronic bronchitis or emphysema). COPD is more common in non-Hispanic white individuals (5.0%), and women (4.1%)³
COPD rates increase with age, with a five-times increased risk for those older than 65 years compared to those who are less than 45 years old.⁴
Although both males and females have higher rates of COPD in ages 65 years and up, rates of chronic bronchitis are higher in women, while men have higher rates of emphysema³
COPD rates increase with smoking (by a factor of five); however, COPD is present in nonsmokers (4%), suggesting there may be other risk factors, such as passive smoking or occupational exposure⁵
Smoking is the most common risk factor worldwide; quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke , as well as environmental and occupational exposures, are critical^1,2
Identifying undiagnosed cases of COPD remains challenging due to delays in seeking medical care, difficulty in recognizing underlying disease, and the tendency to overlook risk factors beyond tobacco smoking and advanced age^6,7
Compared to early diagnosis, delayed diagnosis of COPD has a higher risk of worsening symptoms and more health-related conditions (such as cardiovascular disease, depression, osteoporosis and diabetes) and increased costs to management^8,9
Approximately two-thirds of patients with COPD are estimated to have one or more coexisting health conditions, such as cardiovascular disorders, lung cancer, lung infections, clotting disorders, asthma, elevated blood pressure, thinning of the bones (osteoporosis), gastroduodenal ulcer, depression, and anxiety^10,11

References

American Lung Association (ALA). What is COPD? https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/learn-about-copd
Agarwal AK, Raja A, Brown BD, et al. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Stat Pearls. 2023. Last update August 7, 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559281/
American Lung Association (ALA). COPD Trends Brief: Prevalence. https://www.lung.org/research/trends-in-lung-disease/copd-trends-brief/copd-prevalence
Epidemiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In: Postma DS, Siafakas N, eds. Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Eur Respir Mon. 1998;7:41-73.
Raherison C, Girodet PO. Epidemiology of COPD. Eur Respir Rev 2009;18:114:213-221.
Martinez CH, Mannino DM, Jaimes FA, et al. Undiagnosed obstructive lung disease in the United States. Associated factors and long-term mortality. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2015;12:1788-1795.
Hangaard S, Kronborg T, Hejlesen OK. Characteristics of subjects with undiagnosed COPD based on post-bronchodilator spirometry data. Respir Care. 2019;64:63-70.
Larsson K, Janson C, Ställberg B, et al. Impact of COPD diagnosis timing on clinical and economic outcomes: The Arctic observational cohort study. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2019;14:995-1008.
Kostikas K, Price D, Gutzwiller FS, et al. Clinical impact and healthcare resource utilization associated with early versus late COPD diagnosis in patients from UK CPRD database. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2020;15:1729-1738.
Sin DD, Anthonisen NR, Soriano JB, et al. Mortality in COPD: Role of comorbidities. Eur Respir J. 2006;28:1245-1257.
Boutin-Forzano S, Moreau D, Kalaboka S, et al. Reported prevalence and co-morbidity of asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema: A pan-European estimation. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2007;11:695-702.
Maselli D, Bhatt S, Anzueto A, et al. Clinical epidemiology of COPD: Insights from 10 years of the COPDGene study. Chest. 2019;156:228-238.