The prevention of lung disease and the promotion of lung health is the goal of the National Lung Health Education Program (NLHEP) conducted in collaboration with government, medical and other health professional organizations.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the fourth major cause of death in the United States. Because of this the NLHEP was implemented to develop and promote a nationwide program designed to identify COPD in its early stages.
An objective has been to create a program of intervention to stop the progress of COPD before the development of clinical symptoms - cough, wheeze, chest tightness or shortness of breath - , early signs of risk leading to disabling forms of this chronic lung disease.
The spirometer can be used to identify early stages of COPD and can also identify people at risk of death from lung cancer, heart attack and stroke. Indeed, preservation of lung health is the key to good health in general.
About 120,000 Americans die of COPD annually in the United States alone, making this the fourth largest leading cause of mortality and the most rapidly growing lethal problem faced by our population. In 2000, for the first time, more women than men died of COPD
COPD costs the United States 30 billion dollars per year in medical costs, hospitalization and physician office visits. These costs continue to escalate as the number of cases continues its dramatic increase.
