Wednesday marks World COPD Day, a global healthcare event that aims to raise awareness of the condition. The day is observed every year on the third Wednesday of November.
More than 1.5 million Poles suffer from the disease, but many are unaware of their risk, public broadcaster Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported.
Smoking, both active and passive, along with air pollution are the most common causes of COPD, said Małgorzata Czajkowska-Malinowska, head of the Polish Respiratory Society.
The most common symptoms are difficulty breathing, chronic cough and feeling tired. The diagnosis can be confirmed by a breathing test called spirometry.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is not curable, but symptoms can improve if one avoids smoking and exposure to air pollution and gets vaccines to prevent infections, the World Health Organisation said.
The condition can also be treated with medicines, oxygen and pulmonary rehabilitation, experts say.
COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide, according to the WHO.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, WHO
