Hey Kentucky, November Is COPD Awareness Month!

LOUISVILLE KY (11/15/2010)(readMedia)-- Did you know that November is COPD awareness month?

COPD, short for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The disease obstructs a person's airflow, making it harder to breathe.

Currently, COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, and continues to affect over 13 million Americans.

Many people suffer from COPD because they overlook the symptoms and signs of COPD. Those include: constant coughing, shortness of breath while doing everyday activities, producing excess mucus, feeling like you can't breathe or take a deep breath, and wheezing.

You can join the American Lung Association's Fight for Air and learn more about COPD and the treatment options by visiting www.lungusa.org

Better Breathers Club are an American Lung Association support group program for those with COPD and their families. You can locate your nearest Better Breathers Club in the Learning Opportunities section of the Kentucky website at www.kylung.org.

If there is not a Better Breathers Club near you, and would like to help start one, call the American Lung Association in Kentucky at (502)-363-2652 about starting a new club.

Additional information on COPD is available by calling the Association's Lung Help-Line at 800-LUNG-USA, option 2. The Help-Line provides free access to a health care professional who is there to answer your questions about lung health issues.

For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call the Kentucky office at (502)-363-2652 or call 800-LUNG-USA (800-586-4872), option 1.

Educate yourself and spread awareness on COPD so that we can all Breathe Easier!