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Millions 'unaware' they have COPD22 September 2006 Four out of five people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are not aware they have it, according to new research. The biggest single cause of COPD is smoking. The more someone smokes, and the longer they smoke for, the greater their risk of developing COPD. But a recent report, published by Cancer Research UK in the journal Thorax, has revealed as many as 80 percent of British adults may not know they are suffering from the disease. Researchers looked questionnaire responses and saliva and lung-function tests from a total of 8215 adults aged over 35. They identified 1093 people as having COPD, but of these, 80 percent said they had not previously been diagnosed with COPD. Study author Professor Robert West, director of tobacco studies at Cancer Research UK's health behavioural unit, said: "It is crucial to identify smokers with COPD and take urgent action to support them in stopping smoking because the most effective way of halting the progression of the disease is to stop smoking. "Many smokers feel that they will 'get away with it' and not be affected in a serious way by their habit. For smokers with COPD that doubt is removed. Every day they continue to smoke will make things worse," he added. COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, damages the airways and the lungs. The airways become narrow, which restricts the flow of air through the lungs. Oxygen cannot be delivered to the body effectively, and this can lead to severe brain damage and death. Between 600,000 and 900,000 people in the UK have been diagnosed with COPD. This study suggests that there could be around 3.7 million people who actually have the disease.
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