News
US Senate declares November COPD Awareness Month, names Alpha-1 as genetic cause
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has passed by unanimous consent a bill declaring November 2011 as COPD Awareness Month.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho and co-sponsored by Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois. Crapo and Durbin are co-chairs of the Senate Congressional COPD Caucus.
The bill states that COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the only one of the top five causes of death that is increasing in prevalence and death rate.
The bill also points out that half of the estimated 24 million people with COPD in the United States have not been properly diagnosed, and that COPD can result from genetic conditions such as Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.
