World COPD Day: ‘Your Lungs for Life’ campaign highlights the importance of lifelong lung health
November 16, 2022
This World COPD Day, November 16, the
Forum of International Respiratory Societies
(FIRS), of which the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) is a
founding member, is supporting ‘Your Lungs for Life’—the campaign for a
lifelong focus on keeping lungs healthy as an integral part of future
health and well-being.
The ‘Your Lungs for Life’ campaign will raise awareness of contributing
factors to COPD during all stages of life and what can be done to
promote lifelong lung health and protect vulnerable populations. From
prenatal care, staying active, reducing toxic exposures, maintaining
good nutrition and getting vaccinated, people can give their lungs the
best chance of staying healthy for life.
COPD is a preventable and treatable disease that causes breathlessness,
chronic sputum production and cough. COPD is currently one of the
leading causes of death worldwide and is highly prevalent in low-income
countries. It is estimated that 3 million people globally die each year
due to COPD—a number which is expected to increase due to aging
populations and continued exposure to risk factors like tobacco smoke.
Exposure to tobacco smoke and other inhaled toxic particles and gases
are the main risk factors for COPD, although recent research indicates
that COPD results from a combination of genetic and environmental risk
factors that occur over a lifetime. This significant development in
COPD shows the importance of monitoring lung health from childhood to
adulthood.
Initiatives to reduce the burden of COPD are taking place worldwide,
including programs for smoking cessation, tackling both indoor and
outdoor air pollution and examining childhood disadvantage factors.
Although there is no current cure for COPD, there are a host of simple
actions we can all take to mitigate it. For example, employers can
strive for safe breathing environments, citizens can be good stewards
of air cleanliness and both patients and families can help advocate for
more research and better access to care, including pulmonary
rehabilitation and mental health services.
In addition, providers and policymakers can work together to improve
access to essential medications, telehealth and better access for
patients in remote settings and to make spirometry available—not only
for diagnosis but also as a global health marker.
The goal of World COPD Day is to raise awareness and present new
knowledge and novel therapeutic strategies for COPD worldwide. Learn
more about the 21st annual World COPD Day and how to take part in
events
here
.
The goal of FIRS is to unify and enhance efforts to improve lung health
through the combined work of its more than 70,000 members globally.
About the American College of Chest Physicians
The American College of Chest Physicians® (CHEST) is the global leader
in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of chest diseases. Its
mission is to champion advanced clinical practice, education,
communication and research in chest medicine. It serves as an essential
connection to clinical knowledge and resources for its 19,000+ members
from around the world who provide patient care in pulmonary, critical
care and sleep medicine. For information about the American College of
Chest Physicians, and its flagship journal CHEST®, visit
chestnet.org.