What is COPD? Even if you've heard of the lung condition, chances are you think of COPD as something that happens to older, male smokers. But COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is on the rise among women and even middle-aged adults.

People with COPD have better control over their condition and better health in general if it's identified early. But to catch COPD early requires building collective awareness of key COPD facts. "It can't happen to me" is the old way of thinking. Find out why COPD belongs on your health radar.

Here are 9 COPD facts you should know:

  1. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Maybe you worry about heart disease, breast cancer, or HIV, but COPD deserves some attention, too. It has grown from the fourth to the third-leading cause of death in recent years, which highlights how many people live with the demanding condition.
  2. COPD is a woman's illness, too. Traditionally, older men who smoked were the face of COPD, mostly because men smoked more than women. But women caught up with men in smoking rates, and now, two decades later, physicians are seeing equal or greater rates of COPD among women. According to the most recent COPD statistics, 65,193 women died compared with 60,812 men in 2005. Women might even be more susceptible to COPD than men. "Women who smoke have a greater decline in lung function," says Catherine Cooke, PharmD, a clinical associate professor at the University Of Maryland School Of Pharmacy. "With the same number of cigarettes smoked, women are more predisposed to get COPD." Researchers don't yet know why this is.
  3. A smoker's cough isn't a natural part of aging. Feeling short of breath, coughing, coughing up sputum, getting more respiratory infections, and cutting back on your activity level because you can't catch your breath are not normal signs of aging. These are COPD symptoms that must be evaluated by a doctor.
  4. You can develop COPD before old age. Even though rates of COPD are much higher among people in their seventies and eighties, the younger a person starts smoking, the earlier that person can develop COPD, says pulmonologist Imre Noth, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. People who begin smoking in their early teens, even if they quit relatively early in adulthood, can still develop COPD in their forties or fifties.
  5. Non-smokers get COPD, too. Although cigarette smoking contributes to the majority of COPD cases, non-smokers can get it, too, due to factors such as increased genetic risk, childhood infections that predispose them to COPD later, air pollution, and exposure to indoor air pollution, such as wood-burning cooking stoves.
  6. Spirometry is the gold standard for a COPD diagnosis. COPD may be confused with asthma just on the basis of symptoms, but treatment for COPD and for asthma are different. That makes it all the more important to have the breathing test that measures lung function, known as spirometry. Research from Norway showed that about 17 percent of adults older than 40 who had been diagnosed with asthma actually had COPD when given a spirometry test. "Spirometry gives an accurate diagnosis and helps tailor drugs to the stage of the disease," says Cooke. Chest X-rays and other tests aren't a substitute.
  7. Oxygen is a lifeline. Oxygen is one of the few treatments that can prolong lung health as COPD progresses. "You need oxygen when you are moving," says Noth, who says that people tend to be sitting at home while using it. Also, research published in Pulmonary Medicine shows that even though oxygen is the cornerstone of treatment for severe COPD, people may not be using it as often as recommended because they feel ashamed or embarrassed, or believe oxygen restricts their activities. Sometimes they shy away from it because of side effects, such as nasal dryness. Talk to your doctor if you've been reluctant to use oxygen for COPD. There are many streamlined portable oxygen designs available that allow you to get out of the house and be active.
  8. Smoking cessation matters. It's never too late to quit smoking. If you want to slow the progression of COPD, improve your quality of life, and protect your lungs, you have to stop smoking. If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor. Research suggests that a combination of medication and counseling is the most effective approach, although most smokers have to try several times before succeeding.
  9. The sooner the diagnosis, the better the outcome. Even though COPD is a chronic, progressive disease, the sooner it's detected and the sooner you start treatment, the better the chances of slowing down its progression. If you have COPD symptoms or used to be a smoker, talk to your doctor about testing.

COPD can affect people of both sexes, of all ages, and from all walks of life. But COPD awareness and the appropriate care plan can help people with COPD continue to live an active life.