Newswise — COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is the fourth-leading killer of Americans and of people living around the world, after heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Of these chronic diseases, COPD is the only one that is a growing killer.
According to a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the death rate from COPD has doubled over the past three decades. By 2020, public health experts project that COPD will be the third-leading cause of death in the United States and the world.
Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the two most common contributors to COPD. Smoking is the biggest risk factor for developing the disease. Air pollution and genetic factors also present significant risks.
If you are planning to report on COPD and the growing threat it poses to the public's health, you may want to interview the following experts from the American Thoracic Society (ATS):
Peter D. Wagner, M.D.President, ATS
A. Sonia Buist, M.D.Past President, ATS
Richard Casaburi, M.D.Co-Chair, ATS Pulmonary Rehabilitation Section
Bartolome Celli, M.D.Co-Chair, ATS-European Respiratory Society Taskforce on the Standards for the Diagnosis and Treatment of COPDATS Representative to WHO-NIH Global Obstructive Lung Disease Institute
With more than 13,000 members, the American Thoracic Society (ATS) is the leading medical association dedicated to advancing lung, critical care and sleep medicine. In addition to sponsoring education, advocacy and research programs, the ATS publishes three scientific journals, including the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, which has the greatest impact factor in the field of respiratory medicine, according to the Science Citation Index.
RSS