Wednesday, November 21, 2018 is World COPD Day, and the National Institues of Health (NIH) has published a statement on its commitment to fight the burden of COPD. The following is the opening paragraph of the statement:
On November 21, World COPD Day 2018, the National Institutes of Health unites with millions of people to renew our long-standing commitment to reducing the burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a serious and debilitating lung disease. A leading cause of death, COPD impacts an estimated 251 million people worldwide. While many have been diagnosed with the disease, millions more are believed to have it and not know it. In the United States, 16 million people have COPD, and each year more than 150,000 people die because of it.
Read the full NIH statement on World COPD Day here.