Third leading killer affects 85,000 adults in NH
MANCHESTER, NH – Put a straw in your mouth, pinch your nose, and breathe in and out only through the straw for one minute. This is how it feels to have COPD.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and permanently damages the airways and air sacs in the lungs. Because it comes on gradually, many people don’t realize they have it and how it limits them until the disease is advanced.
Breathe New Hampshire, the only nonprofit public health agency in the state dedicated solely to lung health, is offering a monthly support group for those living with COPD, their families, friends and caregivers, at their office, 145 Hollis Street, Unit C in Manchester.
This is an opportunity for those with COPD to break out of their isolation, get support and information on how to cope from their peers without feeling stigmatized.
The COPD Support Group meets the second Wednesday of each month, from 1-2:30 p.m., and is led by therapist volunteers who are living with the disease. For more information, call 603-669- 2411 or email COPD@breathenh.org. The next meeting is March 8.
COPD occurs most often in people 40+ who are or were smokers, have had long-term exposure to lung irritants and air pollution, including secondhand smoke, or have a rare genetic condition. It’s the second leading cause of disability in the U.S.
Symptoms include shortness of breath, chronic coughing or wheezing, producing excess sputum, or feeling unable to take a deep breath. COPD is diagnosed with a quick, simple, painless breathing test.
Although it kills more women than breast cancer and diabetes combined and is mostly preventable, there is a lack of awareness of the number-three killer partly because of the associated stigma.
Because one person dies of COPD every four minutes in the U.S. and COPD affects at least one in 15 New Hampshire adults, Breathe NH has created the first New Hampshire COPD Plan, a comprehensive road map to help improve the lives of those impacted by COPD and reduce the burden of the disease statewide.
To view the New Hampshire COPD Plan, see www.breathenh.org/COPD.
About Breathe New Hampshire
Breathe New Hampshire is celebrating a century of promoting lung health and improving the quality of life for those with lung disease, through educational programs, public health advocacy, and supporting research. See www.breathenh.org or call 603-669- 2411 for more information.
