The Global Initiative on Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) defines chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as "a disease state characterized by progressive airflow limitation that is not fully reversible, associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles and gases" (GOLD, 2011).
- 80% of patients with COPD are cigerette smokers
- 3 million people died from COPD in 2005, which corresponds to 5% of all deaths globally
- Currently, COPD is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide
- By 2020, predicted to become the third most common cause of death
- COPD kills someone every 15 seconds
Anna Li
Dmitry M.
Elaine Tu
Andriy Pavlyuk
