According to new figures, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may affect at least 10% of adults over age 40 worldwide. This makes COPD three times more common than previously estimated. The new figures originate from preliminary data produced by two major international studies carried out in Brazil, Chile, China, Mexico, Turkey, and Uruguay.

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease has offered the Breath of Life Questionnaire to help people with abnormal lung function recognize COPD and get treatment. You can access it at http://www.goldcopd.org/questions.