Information for patients and the public

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of lung diseases which includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic obstructive airways disease.
• People with COPD may have a combination of these or other airways diseases.
• People with COPD have damaged breathing airways & air sacs which cause obstruction to breathing. Common signs are shortness of breath, cough and phlegm. COPD usually develops slowly and people may not realise they have a problem until there is permanent damage to the lungs. Having COPD can bring about life changes. Knowing more about the disease can help people cope with the disease. The most common cause of COPD is smoking.
• If you or a loved one (friend or relative) has COPD, there are things that you can do to help you cope with the disease. Please contact your GP or lung doctor for specific advice and treatment.
• More information about Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the NHS website

• The number of people worldwide with COPD is rising. Over time, patients experience an increasing loss of quality of life. It is also a significant cost to the NHS. As a result of the increasing burden of COPD a National Clinical Strategy has been developed.
• Experts estimate that more than half of people with COPD don’t know they have the disease and miss early treatment which may slow or stop disease progression. There is a lack of information on the disease course of COPD, which limits treatment options, especially in people with mild to moderate disease. Data from other countries suggest that people with COPD have difficulty with work and employment compared to others, but there are no studies investigating this in the UK. There is also a lack of studies of workplace interventions to improve work performance among people with COPD.
• If patients with COPD can be identified and treated earlier, they may have longer, healthier lives. If we understand the course of COPD, we may be able to develop better treatments.

There are 3 parts to the Programme:

• TargetCOPD – a study which explores the best way and most cost-effective method to identify COPD. It is set in local GP surgeries, where people with early disease may be found.
• The Birmingham COPD Cohort Study- we are creating a group (or cohort) of approximately 2,000 people with existing and newly found COPD, to study the course of the disease and possibly develop new treatment options.
• COPE- COPD and Occupational Performance - this study looks at how COPD affects work and work performance.

• Cohort Patient Newsletter Issue 4
• Cohort Patient Newsletter Issue 3
• Cohort Patient Newsletter Issue 2
• Cohort Patient Newsletter Issue 1 

• TargetCOPD & TargetCOPD2
• The Birmingham COPD Cohort study