August 14, 2003

BIRMINGHAM, AL — UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) physician Dr. William Bailey and baseball superstar Roger Clemens are teaming up to draw awareness to COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) at Yankee Stadium on August 26.

Clemens, whose mother has COPD, is lending his name to the awareness effort in her honor. Bailey will spearhead a team of 100 health care volunteers who will conduct COPD screenings for fans as they enter New York City’s Yankee Stadium for a game between the Yankees and the Chicago White Sox. Clemens’ mother will throw out the ceremonial first pitch, and Clemens is scheduled to be on the mound for the Yankees.

“COPD is a very severe, yet very under-appreciated disease,” says Bailey, a professor of pulmonary medicine and director of the UAB Lung Health Center. “It is now the 4th leading cause of death in the United States, and the number of cases is expected to rise dramatically in the future.”

Bailey’s volunteer team will conduct questionnaires with fans as they enter the stadium prior to the August 26 game. Fans whose answers indicate a potential for COPD will be further evaluated with a spirometer test, which measures air volume and air flow in the lungs. If this test indicates the possibility of COPD, fans will be referred to their physician for a complete evaluation.

“Our effort at Yankee Stadium is part of the National Institutes of Health’s campaign to raise awareness of COPD, as has been done with other chronic conditions such as heart disease and asthma,” says Bailey. “COPD is preventable if found early, and public education of the risk factors, signs, symptoms and severity of this disease is crucial to our efforts to manage it.”

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a slowly progressive disease of the airways that is characterized by a gradual loss of lung function. In the U.S., the term 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 severe 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 the United States, the most important risk factor for COPD by far is cigarette smoking. Pipe, cigar, other types of tobacco smoking and passive exposure to cigarette smoke are also risk factors. Other documented causes of COPD include occupational dusts and chemicals. Outdoor air pollution adds to the total burden of inhaled particles in the lungs, but its role in causing COPD is uncertain. The most important measure for preventing COPD — and for slowing disease progression — is avoidance of smoking.