COPD & Emphysema Support Group
COPD is a progressive disease characterized by airflow obstruction or limitation. Emphysema is characterized by loss of elasticity of the lung tissue, destruction of structures supporting the alveoli and of capillaries feeding the alveoli. Both have symptoms that include shortness of breath, among other respiratory troubles. If you are a COPD or Emphysema sufferer, join...
press release
June 17, 2014, 9:37 a.m. EDT
COPD Foundation Releases Groundbreaking COPE Survey Results: Low Patient Awareness About COPD Exacerbations Poses Barrier to Effective Management
Findings highlight communication gap between patients and physicians
WASHINGTON, Jun 17, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may need more education and better dialogue with their physicians to effectively manage the progressive respiratory condition and potentially life-threatening complications known as exacerbations (or flare-ups), according to key findings from the new, two-part national COPE ( C hronic O bstructive P ulmonary E xperience) Survey initiative released today by the COPD Foundation .
While COPD exacerbations are a leading cause of hospitalization in the United States, nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of COPD patients surveyed admitted to not knowing much about them, and an additional 16 percent did not know what an exacerbation was at all. Sixty percent (60 percent) of COPD patients reported that they did not have an action plan for dealing with a flare-up. By contrast, in the part of the COPE Survey targeting physicians who treat COPD, almost all of them said they discuss exacerbations (98 percent) and establish action plans (92 percent) with their patients. This suggests an opportunity to improve care through more productive, meaningful communication between COPD patients and their physicians.
COPD is a serious lung disease that affects an estimated 24 million Americans and which over time makes it more difficult to breathe, partially because symptoms of the disease such as shortness of breath, chronic coughing or wheezing, and production of excess mucus come on slowly and continue to worsen. Exacerbations are acute periods when symptoms suddenly get worse and breathing becomes even more difficult. Once a patient has an exacerbation which can be mild, moderate, or severe they are more likely to experience another one. In fact, COPD patients in the survey who experienced at least one exacerbation have suffered through an average of 22 exacerbations in their lifetime.
Exacerbations can have a devastating impact on overall health, and they can actually cause COPD to progress even faster and reduce lung function, says Scott Cerreta, director of Education, COPD Foundation. Developing an action plan with instructions to help patients and their caregivers identify warning signs and what steps to take if an exacerbation should occur is a critical part of managing COPD.
Early detection and proper diagnosis of COPD are also critical to managing the disease and slowing its progression, yet surveyed COPD patients indicated that they experienced symptoms of the disease for an average of two years and nine months prior to being diagnosed. Furthermore, surveyed physicians reported that 39 percent of their patients had reached a severe or very severe disease state by the time of diagnosis results which indicate there may be an opportunity for earlier detection and intervention. Despite the importance of proper diagnosis of COPD severity, less than half (49 percent) of physicians surveyed reported that they always perform spirometry a diagnostic tool that measures lung function to confirm a diagnosis.
Additionally, the survey revealed that only 12 percent of COPD patients consider their condition to be completely controlled and indicated that COPD disrupts patients ability to complete normal daily activities such as exercising (87 percent), climbing stairs (86 percent), and walking (77 percent). Yet surprisingly, 82 percent of patients who have a COPD treatment regimen said they are satisfied with it, suggesting that many may be unaware that more could be done.
COPD can be treated but its crucial for doctors to diagnose it early and for patients to follow the appropriate therapeutic strategies to improve symptoms, increase activity, and reduce the chances of exacerbations, said MeiLan Han, M.D., M.S., associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of Michigan. It's important that physicians develop an individualized approach that works best for each patient.
The COPE patient and physician surveys were conducted by The COPD Foundation with support from Forest Laboratories, Inc., as part of Forests MORE Matters education campaign. The initiative aims to provide people living with COPD and their caregivers what they want MORE of: education about the condition, helpful resources, and the support needed to help them manage the disease. Additional information can be found at http://morematterswithcopd.com/ .
About the COPD Patient Survey
The COPD patient survey was conducted online by Kelton Global between December 18, 2013 and January 8, 2014 among 1,102 Americans ages 40 and over who suffer from COPD, including chronic bronchitis or emphysema. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the margin of error for the total sample is +/- three percent at the 95 percent confidence interval. The margin of error for any subgroups will be slightly higher.
About the Physician Survey
An online survey was conducted by M3 Global Research, a global healthcare market research firm. Internet survey interviews among a sample of 100 US pulmonologists and 100 primary care physicians were conducted between December 2013 and January 2014. Quotas were set by specialty and volume of COPD patients seen.
About COPD
COPD is a common, progressive, and debilitating lung disease characterized by persistent airflow limitation that makes it hard to breathe. The World Health Organization (WHO) has described COPD as a global epidemic; an estimated 64 million people have COPD worldwide. More than three million people died of the condition in 2005, which is equal to five percent of all deaths globally that year. Total deaths from COPD are projected to increase by more than 30 in the next 10 years without interventions to cut risks, particularly exposure to tobacco smoke. WHO predicts that COPD will become the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030. COPD is already the third leading cause of death in the U.S.
In patients with COPD the airways in the lungs typically lose their elasticity, produce excess mucus and become thick and inflamed, limiting the passage of air. The most common symptoms of COPD are breathlessness (or a "need for air"), abnormal sputum (a mix of saliva and mucus in the airway), and chronic cough. As the condition worsens and breathlessness increases, daily activities, such as walking up a short flight of stairs or carrying a suitcase, can become very difficult.
SOURCE: COPD Foundation
COPD Foundation
Stephanie Clark, 201-641-1911 x53
sclark@cpronline.com
or
Forest Laboratories
Amanda Kaufman
Amanda.Kaufman@frx.com
We all need to know when we need help, and what our action plan is.
I hope this is helpful to someone here.
Easy breathing to each of you,
Love Always,
Holly
June 17, 2014, 9:37 a.m. EDT
COPD Foundation Releases Groundbreaking COPE Survey Results: Low Patient Awareness About COPD Exacerbations Poses Barrier to Effective Management
Findings highlight communication gap between patients and physicians
WASHINGTON, Jun 17, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may need more education and better dialogue with their physicians to effectively manage the progressive respiratory condition and potentially life-threatening complications known as exacerbations (or flare-ups), according to key findings from the new, two-part national COPE ( C hronic O bstructive P ulmonary E xperience) Survey initiative released today by the COPD Foundation .
While COPD exacerbations are a leading cause of hospitalization in the United States, nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of COPD patients surveyed admitted to not knowing much about them, and an additional 16 percent did not know what an exacerbation was at all. Sixty percent (60 percent) of COPD patients reported that they did not have an action plan for dealing with a flare-up. By contrast, in the part of the COPE Survey targeting physicians who treat COPD, almost all of them said they discuss exacerbations (98 percent) and establish action plans (92 percent) with their patients. This suggests an opportunity to improve care through more productive, meaningful communication between COPD patients and their physicians.
COPD is a serious lung disease that affects an estimated 24 million Americans and which over time makes it more difficult to breathe, partially because symptoms of the disease such as shortness of breath, chronic coughing or wheezing, and production of excess mucus come on slowly and continue to worsen. Exacerbations are acute periods when symptoms suddenly get worse and breathing becomes even more difficult. Once a patient has an exacerbation which can be mild, moderate, or severe they are more likely to experience another one. In fact, COPD patients in the survey who experienced at least one exacerbation have suffered through an average of 22 exacerbations in their lifetime.
Exacerbations can have a devastating impact on overall health, and they can actually cause COPD to progress even faster and reduce lung function, says Scott Cerreta, director of Education, COPD Foundation. Developing an action plan with instructions to help patients and their caregivers identify warning signs and what steps to take if an exacerbation should occur is a critical part of managing COPD.
Early detection and proper diagnosis of COPD are also critical to managing the disease and slowing its progression, yet surveyed COPD patients indicated that they experienced symptoms of the disease for an average of two years and nine months prior to being diagnosed. Furthermore, surveyed physicians reported that 39 percent of their patients had reached a severe or very severe disease state by the time of diagnosis results which indicate there may be an opportunity for earlier detection and intervention. Despite the importance of proper diagnosis of COPD severity, less than half (49 percent) of physicians surveyed reported that they always perform spirometry a diagnostic tool that measures lung function to confirm a diagnosis.
Additionally, the survey revealed that only 12 percent of COPD patients consider their condition to be completely controlled and indicated that COPD disrupts patients ability to complete normal daily activities such as exercising (87 percent), climbing stairs (86 percent), and walking (77 percent). Yet surprisingly, 82 percent of patients who have a COPD treatment regimen said they are satisfied with it, suggesting that many may be unaware that more could be done.
COPD can be treated but its crucial for doctors to diagnose it early and for patients to follow the appropriate therapeutic strategies to improve symptoms, increase activity, and reduce the chances of exacerbations, said MeiLan Han, M.D., M.S., associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of Michigan. It's important that physicians develop an individualized approach that works best for each patient.
The COPE patient and physician surveys were conducted by The COPD Foundation with support from Forest Laboratories, Inc., as part of Forests MORE Matters education campaign. The initiative aims to provide people living with COPD and their caregivers what they want MORE of: education about the condition, helpful resources, and the support needed to help them manage the disease. Additional information can be found at http://morematterswithcopd.com/ .
About the COPD Patient Survey
The COPD patient survey was conducted online by Kelton Global between December 18, 2013 and January 8, 2014 among 1,102 Americans ages 40 and over who suffer from COPD, including chronic bronchitis or emphysema. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the margin of error for the total sample is +/- three percent at the 95 percent confidence interval. The margin of error for any subgroups will be slightly higher.
About the Physician Survey
An online survey was conducted by M3 Global Research, a global healthcare market research firm. Internet survey interviews among a sample of 100 US pulmonologists and 100 primary care physicians were conducted between December 2013 and January 2014. Quotas were set by specialty and volume of COPD patients seen.
About COPD
COPD is a common, progressive, and debilitating lung disease characterized by persistent airflow limitation that makes it hard to breathe. The World Health Organization (WHO) has described COPD as a global epidemic; an estimated 64 million people have COPD worldwide. More than three million people died of the condition in 2005, which is equal to five percent of all deaths globally that year. Total deaths from COPD are projected to increase by more than 30 in the next 10 years without interventions to cut risks, particularly exposure to tobacco smoke. WHO predicts that COPD will become the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030. COPD is already the third leading cause of death in the U.S.
In patients with COPD the airways in the lungs typically lose their elasticity, produce excess mucus and become thick and inflamed, limiting the passage of air. The most common symptoms of COPD are breathlessness (or a "need for air"), abnormal sputum (a mix of saliva and mucus in the airway), and chronic cough. As the condition worsens and breathlessness increases, daily activities, such as walking up a short flight of stairs or carrying a suitcase, can become very difficult.
SOURCE: COPD Foundation
COPD Foundation
Stephanie Clark, 201-641-1911 x53
sclark@cpronline.com
or
Forest Laboratories
Amanda Kaufman
Amanda.Kaufman@frx.com
We all need to know when we need help, and what our action plan is.
I hope this is helpful to someone here.
Easy breathing to each of you,
Love Always,
Holly
That's why its really great joining a support forum plus being pro-active in research....helps us understand this disease....
Hugs Peter
I had come to pretty much the same conclusion as the survey. I always held back because frankly Im not medically qualified. This survey has given me strength. So here goes
*Avoiding an Exacerbation* is THE High-card, Joker, and Ace in the deck.
Whether or not you feel better with a certain medication has a very low priority. Go ahead and change meds, but if you have a flare-up RUN dont walk back to feeling worse. Whether your nose is too wet or too dry can be an annoyance, but the only real question is do you have a flare-up with a wet nose or a dry nose?.
A choice should never be based on whether something allows you to walk an extra quarter mile, provide better concentration, or clean your garage longer before gasping for air or coughing you should avoid ever gasping for air or having a coughing spell period!
The only difference between a mild flare-up and a severe one is the amount of damage, eg, a hand grenade vs. a napalm air strike. All damage is irreversible and permanent.
The good news is most of the time (every time in my case) you can tell if one is coming. If so, Stop. Use your emergency inhaler or other tool. If you dont have the tools to stop a flare-up go back to the doctor. (A better tool, better maintenance, better ???, but get something.)
If you cant recognize the beginning of one start keeping records take the information to your pulmonary specialist and get help.
If the doctor doesnt help get another doctor.