One in five heavy smokers over age 40 have findings of COPD, but only one-third have been previously diagnosed with the common lung disease.10% of people worldwide over the age of 40 are affected by COPD.
Researchers screened 1,003 people aged 40 and over who were current or former heavy smokers. Heavy smoking was defined as a smoking history of 20 pack-years or more.
The results showed that 20.7% of the people screened met the criteria for a diagnosis of COPD but only 32.7% had previously been diagnosed with the disease or were aware of their COPD diagnosis.
Image source: Lungs, Wikipedia, public domain.
