World COPD Awareness Day is also celebrated in Israel on November 17
COPD is the number one cause of death from smoking, more than lung cancer. COPD is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which appears in smokers at an older age and leads to severe damage to the quality of life and deterioration that may lead to the death of the patient. One in five smokers is expected to get the disease, which is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the world. About five percent of the adult population in Israel has COPD.
According to Dr. Amnon Ariel, director of the pulmonary unit at the Emek Hospital in Afula: "According to the World Health Organization data, 2.7 million patients die every year from COPD, more than the number of patients worldwide who die from AIDS and its complications. The disease is expected to become the third cause of death in the world, within about 15 years. In terms of the economic burden, the disease is currently in 12th place in terms of cost of treatment and is expected to rise to fifth place within 15 years."
Awareness of the disease is very low, the smoking public is not aware of the disease and in many cases it is not diagnosed. Early detection of the disease is of great importance, because smoking cessation, together with drug treatment and additional medical activity, can stop the development of the disease and improve the quality of life of the patients.
The rate of smokers and the incidence of the disease are higher among populations whose socio-economic status is weak, and whose public influence is little. In addition to this, there is a tendency in the public to treat the disease as a punishment that smokers "deserve". For these reasons, COPD suffers from poor public relations. World COPD Day is held to improve public knowledge and awareness of this important disease.
COPD Awareness Day is celebrated on November 17 worldwide. Israel joins the countries that hold an activity on this date in which there will be a conference of the Association of Pulmonologists and the Association of Family Physicians, where innovations and ways of treating the disease will be examined. Professor Roger Goldstein from Canada, a world-renowned expert on the disease, will speak at the conference.
Important points about the disease
- * About 2,700,000 patients die worldwide every year from COPD
- COPD * is the number one cause of death from smoking
- * One in five smokers is expected to have the disease
- * The incidence of the disease is increasing: by 2020 the disease is expected to be the third cause of death
- * Early diagnosis and treatment can lead to a significant improvement in quality of life
