The annual Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Day has arrived, and this year’s theme remains “Breathe Easy, Stop Helpless”. The COPD Global Initiative is an initiative of the COPD Global Initiative. COPD Day is celebrated every year on the third Wednesday of November, and this year is the eighth COPD Day, which falls on November 18. What is COPD? Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory disease. Globally, COPD affects 600 million people and can cause 2.75 million deaths each year. The total number of COPD patients in China can reach 27 million each year. The World Health Organization expects COPD to become the third leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease in the world by 2020. During the 11th Five-Year Plan, Prof. Nanshan Zhong led an epidemiological survey on COPD, which showed that the prevalence of COPD among people over 40 years old in China is 8.2%, with higher prevalence among men than women, and higher prevalence in rural areas than in towns, with population, urban-rural and regional differences. These differences are related to the different levels of exposure to risk factors in the population. Currently, COPD cannot be cured, but it can be prevented and controlled. Prevention means reducing exposure to risk factors, and control means that treatment can improve the patient’s symptoms, improve quality of life, and reduce acute exacerbations of the disease. What are the risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? Smoking is the most important factor in the development of COPD. Smokers have a higher rate of abnormal lung function and a faster annual rate of decline in FEV1, and more smokers die from COPD than non-smokers. In addition, passive smoking can lead to respiratory symptoms as well as COPD. Smoking in pregnant women may also affect fetal lung growth and development in utero, and may have an impact on fetal immune system function. Air pollution can also contribute to the development of COPD. Airborne chemical gases such as chlorine, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide have an irritating and cytotoxic effect on the bronchial mucosa. Acute COPD attacks increase significantly when there is a significant increase in airborne soot or sulfur dioxide. Other dusts such as silica, coal dust, cotton dust, and cane dust also stimulate the bronchial mucosa, impairing airway clearance and creating conditions for bacterial invasion. It should be noted that air pollution also includes indoor air pollution, such as cooking fumes and soot from biofuels are associated with the development of COPD, and indoor air pollution from biofuels may have a synergistic effect with smoking. The epidemiological survey of COPD in China in the 11th Five-Year Plan also showed that the onset of COPD in rural women was associated with the use of biofuels. Respiratory tract infections are another important factor in the onset and exacerbation of COPD, with about 80% of acute exacerbations caused by respiratory tract infections, and the main pathogens causing respiratory tract infections include bacteria and viruses. It has also been found that severe lower respiratory tract infections in childhood are associated with reduced lung function and the onset of respiratory symptoms in adulthood. How can chronic obstructive pulmonary disease be prevented? It is clear that smoking cessation is an important tool to prevent the onset and control the progression of the disease. Many people will say, “It’s not easy to quit smoking,” and some people quit and then return to smoking. This is because long-term smoking can cause the body to become addicted to nicotine, which is medically known as tobacco dependence. Tobacco dependence (also known as nicotine dependence) is also a disease, the World Health Organization has included tobacco dependence as a disease in the International Classification of Diseases, under the psychoneurological disorders. Therefore, it is important to quit smoking in a scientific way, and you can seek professional medical help. In addition, prevention of COPD also requires strengthening occupational protection and reducing air pollution, especially to reduce indoor smoke pollution, which requires strengthening ventilation facilities in the kitchen and reducing or abandoning the use of biofuels. How is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treated? What can COPD patients do to control the progression of the disease? The treatment of COPD is divided into the treatment of the stable phase and the treatment of acute exacerbation. The treatment in the stable stage is divided into two parts: pharmacological treatment and non-pharmacological treatment. Pharmacological treatment advocates graded treatment, and all patients are advocated to receive influenza vaccination so as to prevent acute exacerbation; patients with grade 2 or above are treated with bronchodilators as needed; patients with grade 3 or above can add inhaled glucocorticoids according to the situation. Non-pharmacological treatment includes rehabilitation and home oxygen therapy. Rehabilitation therapy includes breathing exercises, exercise, etc. It should be noted that the treatment of COPD is long-term and needs to be adhered to for a long time, not to use medication when the disease is severe and not when it is mild. In case of acute exacerbation, it is necessary to seek medical advice from a professional doctor in time. In conclusion, COPD is a major chronic respiratory disease that seriously threatens people’s health. It should attract the attention of all walks of life and enhance the confidence of COPD prevention and treatment, so that everyone can have a correct understanding of COPD and make our patients “breathe easy and no longer helpless” through the efforts of the whole society.