Posted on November 10, 2004 at 10:50 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) will mark National Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Day on November 17 by offering lung screenings and COPD information during a day-long event at the Kirklin clinic. COPD has become the fourth leading cause of death in America.

The event, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the fourth floor conference room of the Kirklin Clinic (2000 6th Avenue South) will offer smokers or former smokers lung function testing, smoking cessation information, information about UAB COPD treatment and research and alpha-1 antitrypsin-deficiency screenings.

The event is sponsored by the UAB division of pulmonary, allergy and critical care medicine, along with the Kirklin Clinic and the American Lung Association.

“COPD is a very severe, yet very under-appreciated disease,” says Dr. William Bailey, a professor of pulmonary medicine and director of the UAB Lung Health Center. “It has already gained prominence as a leading cause of death in the United States, and the number of cases is expected to rise dramatically in the future.”

COPD is a slowly progressive disease of the airways that is characterized by a gradual loss of lung function. COPD includes chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive bronchitis, or emphysema, or a combination of these conditions.

The symptoms of COPD can range from chronic cough and sputum production to severely disabling shortness of breath. In some individuals, chronic cough and sputum production are the first signs that they are at risk for developing the airflow obstruction and shortness of breath characteristic of COPD. In others, shortness of breath may be the first indication of the disease.

In America, the most important risk factor for COPD by far is cigarette smoking. The most important measure for preventing COPD — and for slowing disease progression — is avoidance of smoking.