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What is COPD? Symptoms, causes and facts

Man coughs while jogging

November 22, 2024

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:5 Roughly 80–90% of cases are caused by tobacco smoke (both use and secondhand).6 In fact, ~25% of chronic smokers are diagnosed with COPD.7 Secondary 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 asthma.12

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


This blog post contains general information about medical conditions and potential treatments. It is not medical advice. If you have any medical questions, please consult your doctor.

References

  1. Source: World Health Organization. The top 10 causes of death: Fact sheet: N°310 (2012 statistics). 2014. https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death (accessed October 7, 2015).
  2. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Leading causes of death (2013 statistics). 2015. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm (accessed October 7, 2015).
  3. Source: COPD Foundation. COPD statistics across America. https://www.copdfoundation.org/What-is-COPD/Understanding-COPD/Statistics.aspx (accessed October 7, 2015).
  4. Source: COPD Canada. Welcome to COPD Canada. https://www.copdcanada.ca/
  5. Source: World Health Organization. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Fact sheet N°315. 2015. https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-(copd) (accessed October 7, 2015).
  6. Source: Canadian Lung Association. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Edited by Canadian Thoracic Society’s COPD Clinical Assembly, 2014. https://www.lung.ca/copd (accessed October 7, 2015).
  7. Source: Mayo Clinic. COPD: Causes. 2015. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/copd/symptoms-causes/syc-20353679 (accessed October 7, 2015).
  8. Source: Owens RL and Malhotra A. Sleep-disordered breathing and COPD: The overlap syndrome. Respir Care 2010;55(10):1333–44. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20875160/
  9. Source: Regan EA et al. Clinical and radiologic disease in smokers with normal spirometry. JAMA Intern Med 2015;175(9):1539–49. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2323415
  10. Source: Mayo Clinic. COPD: Symptoms. 2015. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/copd/symptoms-causes/syc-20353679 (accessed October 7, 2015).
  11. Source: Mayo Clinic. COPD: Risk factors. 2015. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/copd/symptoms-causes/syc-20353679 (accessed October 7, 2015).
  12. Source: Genetics Home Reference. Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Reviewed 2013; published 2015. https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/alpha-1-antitrypsin-deficiency/ (accessed October 8, 2015).