November is COPD Awareness Month

05 Nov November is COPD Awareness Month

Not only is November COPD Awareness Month, November 18 is World COPD Day, an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) to improve awareness and care of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease around the world. This year’s theme is “It’s Not Too Late.”  The theme emphasizes the meaningful actions people can take at any stage before or after a COPD diagnosis to improve their respiratory health.

As part of National COPD Awareness Month, the CHEST Foundation of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) recently launched a new campaign with the slogan “Take Control. Live Well.” The campaign is focused not only on patients, but on their families and caregivers, and is designed to encourage patients to monitor their condition daily and live a healthier lifestyle. The foundation has made available a “Lifestyle Management Tool” and “Living Well With COPD” patient guide. Both may be downloaded at livewellCOPD.com.  “Take Control. Live Well” is sponsored by biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

The American Thoracic Society has created a specially designed educational program for COPD sufferers in collaboration with Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The joint venture has produced a patient guidebook that includes a DVD featuring the inspirational stories of 3 COPD patients’ battle with the disease, and of former professional football player and Hall of Fame inductee Darrell Green, who was the primary caregiver of a COPD patient in his family. Click here to download the guidebook.  The guidebook plus DVD are available for ATS members for distribution in their offices. To order “COPD: A Guide for Patients and Families” guidebooks and DVDs, contact Lara Endreszi at lendreszi@thoracic.org.