COPD Foundation and WebMD to Promote COPD Risk Awareness

The leading source of health information launches online COPD Risk Screener

WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 29, 2012 – The COPD Foundation (COPDF) announced today the launch of a COPD Risk Screener on WebMD. The COPD Risk Screener asks consumers a series of questions related to breathing in order to help individuals identify if they are at risk for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).  The COPD risk screener can be found on WebMD.com.

“We are pleased to have the support of WebMD in helping us raise awareness about COPD – the third deadliest disease in the US – by promoting the Risk Screener,” says John W. Walsh, president and co-founder, COPDF. “All too often symptoms of COPD are dismissed as signs of aging or a chronic cough from a lingering cold. About 24 million Americans have COPD, but half of them don’t know it yet. Early detection, which starts by taking the Risk Screener, is key.”

In addition to driving consumer awareness of COPD with the Risk Screener, the Foundation also has a Lung Health Check on WebMD, an educational platform, developed in collaboration with COPDF, which teaches the key symptoms, risks and treatments for lung disease.

Symptoms of COPD include:

• Constant coughing, sometimes called “smoker’s cough”
• Shortness of breath while doing activities you used to be able to do
• Excess sputum production
• Wheezing

“Taking the Risk Screener only takes a couple of minutes, but it can profoundly change your life,” Walsh adds.