Mary Walsh to Younger Canadians: COPD is on the Rise – Get Tested! The Lung Association

The earlier COPD is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.

COPD is no joke to Canadian comedian Mary Walsh.

“It’s shocking that so few Canadians know about COPD considering it’s the fourth leading cause of death in this country,” says Mary Walsh, spokesperson for The Lung Association. Walsh, best known for her work on This Hour has 22 Minutes, is helping raise awareness about COPD, a serious breathing disease that has affected three of her family members along with hundreds of thousands of other Canadians.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is still on the rise in Canada. COPD , the new term for emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is growing in prevalence among younger Canadian baby boomersi and is emerging as a leading health issue for women. In fact, according to research by The Lung Association, one in seven Canadians aged 45 to 49 may currently be living with COPD,ii and many more may be unaware they even have it.

“People may think that feeling short of breath is a normal sign of aging, but it's not,” says Walsh.
COPD symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, fatigue and frequent lung infections. “If you have any trouble with your breathing, go to your doctor and insist, insist on a breathing test.” COPD is diagnosed by spirometry, a simple test that measures how much air you can hold and move out of your lungs.

While there is no cure for COPD, the disease is treatable. “There are many treatments that will help individuals with COPD,” says Dr. Roger Goldstein, notable Toronto respirologist and Ontario Lung Association spokesperson. “The earlier the diagnosis, the better chance of reducing the longer term effects of the condition. High risk people (smokers over the age of 40 years) should be actively screened, so that COPD can be caught earlier and better managed.”

Early treatment can reduce the decline in lung function and improve quality of life.iii A recent study published in The Lancet found that treatment of COPD should begin at an early stage of the disease to slow down its progression.iv

About COPD
COPD is a serious respiratory disease that causes lung damage and obstructs, or blocks the airways. The main symptoms of COPD are shortness of breath and having a hard time doing regular activities. COPD is sometimes referred to as emphysema or chronic bronchitis and is primarily caused by smoking; however, about 10-20 % of COPD cases are caused by other factors e.g. air pollution, lung infections and genetic disorder. It is a progressive disease, which means it gets worse over time. People living with COPD experience flare-ups – times when symptoms get significantly worse. These flare-ups, or “lung attacks” are just as deadly as heart attacks.


World COPD Day in Canada
World COPD Day 2009 is on November 18 and this year, Mary Walsh has joined forces with the Canadian Lung Association to help raise awareness of COPD and the importance of early diagnosis.


Coast 2 Coast Challenge for COPD: Nov. 1 –18
The Lung Association is organizing its second annual Coast 2 Coast Challenge, a virtual trek across Canada to raise awareness about COPD. The Lung Association is inviting people with COPD, their supporters and all Canadians to join the Challenge. Our goal is to cross the country from coast-to-coast in time for World COPD Day, November 18th. Participants will follow a virtual course that takes them from Victoria, B.C. to St. John’s Nfld. to Iqaluit, N.U. and then back to Victoria, B.C., an entire round trip of 14,000 kilometres! Last year, participants in Ontario tracked nearly 10,000 kilometres alone.

Visit www.teamcopd.ca for more information or to sign up to participate in the Coast 2 Coast Challenge. The site brings together photos from Flikr, videos from Youtube, and tweets from Twitter, to show COPDers and supporters doing Coast 2 Coast Challenge and talking about life with COPD.

Visit www.teamcopd.ca to:
Learn more about COPD, View Mary’s video message. Find out if you’re at risk – take The Lung Association’s COPD Quiz. Participate in the Coast 2 Coast Challenge


Help for People with COPD
The Ontario Lung Association offers support for people with COPD and their families. Call the BreathWorks™ Helpline at 1-888-344-LUNG (5864) and speak to a certified respiratory educator or visit us online at www.on.lung.ca to download free COPD resources.

About Ontario Lung Association:
The Lung Association is one of Canada's oldest voluntary, not-for-profit health-promotion organizations. The Lung Association is concerned with the prevention and control of asthma, chronic lung disease caused by smoking and with air quality and its effect on lung health.

The Ontario Lung Association was incorporated in 1945, and has community offices across the province. Visit the Ontario Lung Association online at www.on.lung.ca, or call 1-888-344-LUNG for more information.

When you can’t breathe, nothing else matters.