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COPD
COPD
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, is a long-term lung disease that makes breathing difficult.1 COPD is sometimes called chronic bronchitis or emphysema.1,2,3 Millions of Americans are diagnosed with COPD in the United States every year.3 but estimates show many people do not know they have the disease. In 2018, Michigan had 62,314 emergency department visits for COPD (MiTracking Data Portal). COPD is one of the top 10 causes of death in the United States.4 COPD is preventable and treatable5, but there is no cure for COPD.
COPD data for emergency department visits and hospitalizations are available on the MiTracking data portal.
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Symptoms
COPD Symptoms include5
- Frequent coughing or wheezing
- Extra phlegm or mucus
- Shortness of breath
- Difficulty taking deep breaths
- Feeling tired after light activity or exercising
- Chest tightness
For more information on COPD, visit National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - What is COPD?
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Causes
COPD is a condition where airways and air sacs in the lungs are inflamed and damaged. Causes for COPD are1,3:
- Smoking and secondhand smoke6
- Air pollutants
- Respiratory (lung) infections like tuberculosis
- Genetics
For more information, visit CDC - About COPD.
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Risk Factors
The risk factors for COPD are:
- Women
- 65 and older
- Current or former smokers
- History of asthma
For more information, visit CDC - About COPD.
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Prevention
Actions that can reduce COPD risk3:
- Quit smoking. Go to Smoke Free or Be Tobacco Free for help with quitting smoking.
- Avoid second-hand smoke.
- Avoid air pollutants at work and home.
- Go to AirNow for current air quality information in your area.
- Download the EPA AIRNow app on your smart devices for current air quality conditions.
For more information on COPD, visit National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute - What is COPD?.
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Testing
Your healthcare provider may test for COPD if you have symptoms or a concerning history. Healthcare providers can diagnose COPD with a spirometry test. Spirometry determines the amount and speed of air that leaves the lungs2. The test also shows if there are any airway blockages. Watch spirometry testing at Spirometry video. Other tests used to diagnose COPD are Chest X-rays3, CT Scan3 (an X-ray machine scan that uses a computer to make detailed pictures of the lungs), and blood tests.3
For more information, visit National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - COPD.
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Treatment
Visit your doctor or healthcare provider regularly.
COPD has no cure.5 Taking certain actions can help you to feel better, stay more active, and slow the progress of the disease:
- Quit smoking.
- Avoid secondhand smoke.
- Avoid air pollutants at work and home.
- Stay up to date on vaccines
- Take prescribed medication.
- Follow your doctor’s treatment plan.
For more information, visit American Lung Association - How is COPD treated.
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Data - MiTracking
COPD MiTracking Indicators
- Emergency Department Visits
- Hospitalizations
Data Can Tell Us
- The numbers and rates of COPD hospitalizations and emergency department visits in Michigan by year, age group, and gender.
- If COPD hospitalization and emergency department visit rates are going up or down over time.
- If part of the population is at higher risk of COPD.
Data Cannot Tell Us
- What causes COPD, or what makes people get medical care for COPD.
- The total number of people affected, cost, effect, result, or consequences of COPD.
Find Out More
The emergency department visits dataset was processed and created using data from Michigan Outpatient Database (MODB) and obtained with permission from the Michigan Health and Hospitalization Association (MHA) Service Corporation. The hospitalization dataset was created from the Michigan Inpatient Database (MIDB). MIDB is a database of all hospitalizations at acute care hospitals in Michigan.
For more data information, visit:
- About These Data on the Data Portal
- Metadata (Technical information about the content, quality, and context of the data)
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Learn More
American Lung Association
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
National Environmental Public Health Tracking (Tracking Program)
COPD Foundation
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS)
Michigan Climate and Health Adaptation Program (MICHAP)
MiTracking - COPD (Fact Sheet)
National Institute of Health (NIH) National Health, Lung, and Blood Institute
Quitting Smoking:
World Health Organization (WHO)
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Citations
- American Lung Association. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). http://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd. Accessed June 18, 2024.
- CDC. About COPD. https://www.cdc.gov/copd/about/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/copd/basics-about.html. Accessed June 18, 2024.
- NIH. What is COPD? https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/copd. Accessed June 18, 2024.
- Murphy SL, Kochanek KD, Xu J, Arias E. Mortality in the United States, 2020. NCHS data brief. 2021;(427):1-8. doi:10.15620/cdc:112079
- COPD Foundation. What is COPD? https://www.copdfoundation.org/What-is-COPD/Understanding-COPD/What-is-COPD.aspx. Accessed June 18, 2024.
- WHO. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs315/en/ Accessed June 18, 2024.