“COPD” Although relatively few people have heard of COPD, the disease kills an average of one person every 10 seconds. “COPD is not a single disease, but a general term used to describe chronic lung diseases that cause airflow limitation in the lungs. COPD is also not a cough disease suffered by smokers; it is actually an under-diagnosed, life-threatening lung disease. The most common symptoms of COPD are shortness of breath, or “breathlessness,” excessive sputum and chronic cough. In severe cases, daily activities such as walking up a short flight of stairs may be difficult. COPD is preventable, but not curable. Treatment will help slow the progression, but the disease usually gets progressively worse over time. Because of this characteristic, people diagnosed with the disease are usually 40 years of age or older. The terms chronic bronchitis and emphysema are no longer used and are now included in the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.