COPD Awareness Rules

COPD Awareness rules November.  It is also the third leading cause of death in the US.  FLASS doesn’t mean to frighten you, but November is COPD Awareness month.  Therefore, we are joining forces with the American Lung Association and the COPD Foundation to bring you critical information about this chronic disease.  Our doctors and staff are honored to join such organizations in celebration of both conducting research and caring for COPD patients.

The Factoids of COPD

We have coined the phrase “factoids” for attention.  “Facts” is a small word.

But hopefully, we can sharpen awareness with a “Factoid.”  A Factoid is a word which we created and defined as a small chunk of alarming information.

So here are a few COPD factoids, not to worry you but to inform you.

FLASS Factoid 1: COPD is a chronic lung disease that gets worse over time.  COPD is short for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

FLASS Factoid 2:  COPD has other names.  Doctors and patients refer to it sometimes as emphysema or chronic bronchitis, or both.

FLASS Factoid 3:  At least 15 million people in the U.S. suffer from COPD.  And this figure does not include millions who avoid their doctors and remain undiagnosed.

Rallying the Research Troops To Improve Quality of Life

Helping COPD patients everywhere is the Airways Research Clinic (ACRC).  The Clinic Originally focused on asthma alone.  Then in 2015, the role of the American Lung Association’s was expanded to include COPD treatment research. Next, they formed working relationships with the COPD Patient-Powered Research Network (COPD PPN).  Now they can make better strides in COPD research.

Susan Rappaport is Vice President of Research and Scientific Affairs at the American Lung Association.  She stated, “Over 6,300 patients have participated in clinical trials through our Airways Clinical Research Centers…”  And then she added with gusto, “and we look forward to making an impact on thousands more with the support of the COPD PPRN Patient-Powered Network.

A Collaboration of ACRC and the Patient-Powered Network

Susan Rappaport, also said,  “This important collaboration will aid our ACRC researchers at 24 different trial sites throughout the United States in conducting efficient studies toward our mutual goal of supporting better COPD management and improving treatment.”

“The COPD PPRN support a robust technological file that collects patient-reported outcomes about their health history.  It chronicles their quality of life while living with COPD.  As a result, the registry can:

• support studies,
• add additional surveys
• and help facilitate clinical research…
• Likewise, the registry can, perhaps most importantly enable researchers to connect directly to patients.”

Secrets and Stories of the Registry:  Human Stories, not just Case Studies

At the COPD PPRN, the registry is overseen by a patient-led governing board that ensures patient priorities are the leading concerns of all research efforts.  Together this combination of associations, ACRC, and COPD PPRN, will conduct research across the country.

Then their data will directly impact those living with COP
Their focus will be three-fold:

1.   They want to improve the quality of life for patients.

2.   They will advance our understanding of COPD.

3.    And they will create enhanced treatment options.

FLASS asks, “Are you or someone you know living with COPD?

A Special Invitation

Please take a look at more information on the clinical trials taking place in the ACRC at their valuable online source.  In our own words at FLASS, This is a “November to Remember” as we see these Coalitions work together on behalf of the COPD patients.  They are the front line troops who will fight for the patients who are fighting this dread disease.

November is National COPD Awareness Month

Many health organizations, including COPD.net, will be spending the month of November educating people.  “This education will involve politicians, corporations, and others about the human cost of COPD.  This cost is a serious drain on the U.S. economy and society.  Through these efforts, they will be making as many people as possible aware of COPD.  Those participating will learn who has it, what it’s like to live with it, and what can be done about it.

What is awareness?

Everyone bandies this word around quite blithely.  But what do we really mean when we speak of Awareness?  We hope it means you’ll be consciously mindful and factually informed.  The Doctors and Staff of FLASS want you to be paying attention to what it is like to live with COPD.

At the COPD Foundation.org, the writer expresses the facts of this disease in an intensely moving way.

He asks, “Is the rest of the world aware of what it’s like to live with COPD as compared to those of us who do?”

And then he gives examples:  “Can anyone who has not experienced COPD be aware of what it is like to have to gasp for breath after taking just a few steps…?

Fearful Encounters

He adds another fearful example.  Imagine, “not being able to go out to dinner, a show, or a friend’s house for an evening, for fear you could pass out.”

Likewise, he asks “Can awareness lead to an understanding of what it must be like going to the cinema and spending the whole film self-conscious because you have a persistent cough?”

All of those examples reveal the ugly faces of COPD.  We can’t defeat them until we make more Americans aware of the symptoms and treatments of this disease.  You will understand the daunting challenges of COPD education when you read our next blog on smoking cessation.

COPD:  Will You Pay Consequences– if You are Unaware?

Are folks themselves aware that they may have COPD?  With COPD, symptoms such as shortness of breath, chronic coughing, and wheezing, overcome a patient slowly. And they become worse and worse over time.

Are you aware that many folks mistake these symptoms as a part of aging? Constant coughing and shortness of breath are not part of the normal process of age. They are symptoms of illness, and that illness could be COPD. But if you think they are normal, it’s possible you will delay seeking a diagnosis. Then, it could be too late to avoid serious consequences. So be aware of the symptoms.  Be wary about them and beware if you or someone you love exhibits them.

The FLASS Official List of Symptoms:

Could you have COPD? It is time to do some soul-searching. Perhaps it is time to stop kidding yourself about just being out of shape. Perhaps you are deceiving yourself if you suffer from the symptoms below:

• Frequent coughing or wheezing,
• Excess phlegm or sputum,
• Shortness of breath,
• Trouble taking a deep breath.

Likewise, we must acknowledge that the main cause of COPD is tobacco smoke.

That is the blunt, honest, research-proven fact of the matter. So, if you smoke, you are at a higher risk level for COPD than a non-smoker. Likewise, you should know, “Exposure to air pollutants like cigarette smoke or outdoor smog in the home or at work, family history, and respiratory infections like pneumonia also increase your risk.”

Today’s Terrific Take-Aways:

We have all heard some people with COPD symptoms say they won’t go to a doctor because they “have had these problems for years.”

• Please do not suffer for years, needlessly.  If you have these symptoms, please see your health care provider and begin early treatment.
• And please, help us spread the word about the dangers of COPD and smoking.
• Do you know someone who needs to quit smoking?   The Great American Smokeout is November 15, 2018.

For this week, thank you for reading the FLASS blog and we’ll be giving you more information about COPD risk in upcoming blogs in our “November to Remember” outreach for COPD Awareness Month.