Sherri Dmyterko: Women and COPD: A National Report paints a shocking picture of a serious health crisis affecting Canadian women. It's now estimated that nearly as many women are dying every year of COPD has breast cancer. Dr. Anna Day is the Director, of the Gender, Asthma and COPD Program of Women's College Hospital in Toronto, and a Report Task Force Member.
Dr. Anna Day: The problem of COPD among Canadian women is very serious. In 2005, over 4,000 women died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. And it's one of the fastest growing cause of death for women in Canada. Women and COPD: A National Report is a ground breaking study looking at the knowledge of Canadians about COPD, and what we found is a lack of understanding about COPD in women.
Sherri Dmyterko: Despite the large number of women affected by COPD, the report finds that many Canadians aren't even aware of the condition. Only 13% of Canadians have heard of COPD, and only one in ten have heard of the test to detect COPD known as spirometry.
Dr. Anna Day: We strongly recommend that women at risk for COPD have regular spirometry. Only by doing spirometry can we diagnose COPD.
Sherri Dmyterko: Nora Sobolov is the President and CEO of The Lung Association.
Nora Sobolov: It's estimated that in the next couple of years, the death rate from COPD will surpass the death rate for women of breast cancer making it a very serious onus.
Sherri Dmyterko: Lorraine Leblanc of Toronto has been living with COPD for nearly two decades.
Lorraine Leblanc: When I was first diagnosed with COPD I was always short of breath, very tired, and had great difficulty during day-to-day tours and just day-to-day living. If you think that you might have COPD, don't wait, go to your doctor and go to the proper place to get checked, because it's very important to be checked right away. If I had had this all this information when I was first diagnosed in 1978, I wouldn't be as bad as I am today.
Sherri Dmyterko: The Women and COPD: A National Report was done as a partnership between the Lung Association, the Canadian Thoracic Society and the Canadian respiratory health professionals.
For more information about COPD, speak with your doctor. You can also access Women and COPD: A National Report on the Lung Association website at lung.ca. Sherri Dmyterko reporting.
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