It will creep up on you, and by the time the symptoms are really there, you're in trouble.
On most days, Chip Gatchell finds it difficult breathe. Like 1.5 million Canadians, he has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease -- or COPD.
It's a lung disease that combines emphysema and chronic bronchitis, leaving people struggling for air.
"Picture if you were trying to breathe through a straw," says Chip. "That's the amount of breath often that we're able to get."
A recent study has found COPD results in the highest hospitalization and readmission rates in the country, yet many don't even know they have it.
"Perhaps twice as many Canadians have this disease than is currently reported by Health Canada," says Dr. Paul Hernandez of the Canadian Thoracic Society.
The most common cause for the COPD is smoking.
And there's no cure for it, but catching the disease early can help stop its progression.
That's why it's important for people to pay attention to symptoms and assess if you're at risk.
Ask yourself:
- Do you cough regularly?
- Or cough up phlegm regularly?
- Do simple chores make you short of breath?
- Do you wheeze when you exert yourself, or at night?
- Do you get frequent colds that persist? (For longer than most people)
If you are over 40, answer yes to these questions and are a current or former smoker, see your health care professional.
A simple breathing test called 'spirometry' can confirm a diagnosis.
"Canadians should be concerned about COPD," says Hernandez. "Not only is it a very common disease and a serious illness for those who live with it, but it also has very large economic impacts on the health care system and society in general."
Chip quit smoking after 40 years,
He now relies on medications and oxygen to help him breathe -- and hopes others will get help sooner.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Dr. Rhonda Low
