What is COPD? Symptoms, causes and facts

What is COPD and how does it relate to sleep apnea? We’re sharing fast facts about America’s and the world’s third leading killer – and how to spot it early.

COPD is:

• Short for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: An umbrella term for progressive lung diseases that make it difficult to breathe such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis and non-reversible asthma.
• The #3 leading killer: Both worldwide (behind ischaemic heart disease and stroke)¹ and in the US (behind heart disease and cancer).²
• Quite common: +24 million American adults³ and +750,000 Canadians⁴ are believed to have COPD.
• Preventable:⁵Roughly 80–90% of cases are caused by tobacco smoke (both use and secondhand).⁶ In fact, ~25% of chronic smokers are diagnosed with COPD.⁷Secondary causes include frequent childhood respiratory infections and chronic exposure to air pollution, dusts and chemicals.⁵
• Connected to sleep apnea: A COPD patient has a 10% chance of developing sleep apnea and vice versa.⁸ Having the two conditions (known as “overlap syndrome”) can significantly increase someone’s risk of death compared to having one or the other,⁸ so treating both is critical.

There is currently no cure for COPD.

However, there are both non-invasive and surgical treatment options available. However, the largest obstacle to getting treatment is knowing that you have COPD. That’s why it’s so important to spread awareness. Just this summer, a massive 9,000-person study revealed that up to “35 million current and former smokers older than 55 years in the United States” may have unrecognized COPD.⁹ The data from this study indicates that at least 7 of 10 people with COPD don’t know they have it!

Am I at risk? Take this 5-question quiz.

COPD symptoms (e.g. shortness of breath, wheezing, chronic coughing) often don’t appear until your lungs are significantly damaged, according to the Mayo Clinic.¹⁰ Therefore, we suggest taking this fast 5-question screening quiz on the COPD Foundation’s website, and discussing the results with your doctor.

People most at risk:¹¹

• Are long-time smokers (i.e. cigarettes, cigars, pipes, marijuana)
• Were exposed to large amounts of secondhand smoke
• Were exposed to chemical fumes, vapors and dusts (especially for construction workers)
• Are 35 years or older
• Have alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a rare and often undetected genetic condition, sometimes misdiagnosed as asthma¹²

Read our post on overlap syndrome (when someone has both COPD and sleep apnea), to learn more about:

• What causes overlap syndrome
• How to test for it
• Whether it can be prevented
• Short- and long-term risks
• Treatment options