Have you ever wondered if you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? Maybe someone in your family has been diagnosed with COPD. Alternatively, perhaps you have a long history of smoking, and you are now starting to notice changes in your breathing.
In the United States alone, there is estimated to be 12 million people who have COPD—but do not know they have COPD. That means there are 12 million people who are probably noticing changes in their breathing but have not been evaluated by a physician.
If you think you have COPD, we will discuss some of the early warning signs and how a physician would test for it.