GSK GSK plc

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Nov. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE: GSK) today announced a tweet chat with the COPD Foundation and American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) to raise awareness and education of COPD. Happening today at noon Eastern, the chat will pose and discuss questions as it relates to COPD management, optimal treatment outcomes, and improving the patient/physician dialogue. To participate in the tweet chat, participants can use the hashtag #COPDChat on Twitter.

COPD is a growing problem in the U.S. and in one decade has risen from the fourth leading cause of death to the third, after heart disease and cancer.¹ Although COPD is not curable, it is important for patients to understand that it is both manageable and treatable. Through early discussions with a primary care physician or pulmonologist, it is possible for patients to receive early diagnosis and begin building proper nutrition, exercise and treatment plans unique to their lifestyle and favorable for decreased disease progression.^2,3

5.5 percent of U.S. health costs are spent on chronic lung disease with a total of $49.9 billion annual costs accounting for COPD alone.^4,5,6 Additionally, 26 percent of U.S. respondents reported visiting the emergency room with 17 percent having been hospitalized in 2014.⁷

During the #COPDChat, GSK, AARC and the COPD Foundation will be joined by knowledgeable healthcare providers, eager and ready to discuss expert information on COPD and how to better manage the disease so patients are able to maintain a healthy and comfortable quality of life.

"By joining together with two leading advocacy organizations, our hope is to increase knowledge and awareness surrounding a disease that affects almost 15 million Americans," said Deborah Long, U.S. Medical Affairs Lead, GSK. "We welcome healthcare providers, patients and friends and family of those diagnosed to participate in the chat to gain a better of understanding of COPD management."

"The American Association for Respiratory Care is proud to be a part of this COPD Chat. It is essential that respiratory therapists be part of the conversation, it is all about our patients," said Tom Kallstrom, MBA, RRT, FAARC, AARC Executive Director.

GSK invites patients, families, and healthcare providers, along with the rest of the COPD community to join us and discuss COPD during #COPDChat on Twitter, Monday, November 9, at 12 PM ET. 

"We are so pleased to be collaborating with AARC and GSK on this initiative. This is a great opportunity to connect the key stakeholders in our community from across the globe during COPD Awareness month," said John W. Walsh, President and Co-Founder of the COPD Foundation. "I encourage providers, patients and caregivers to lend their voice to the COPD Chat."

For more information on COPD, visit COPD.com, COPD360.org, or AARC.org.

About COPD
COPD is a disease of the lungs that includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema or both. COPD is characterised by obstruction to airflow that interferes with normal breathing. COPD is thought to affect around 329 million people worldwide.⁸

Long-term exposure to lung irritants that damage the lungs and the airways are usually the cause of COPD. Cigarette smoke, breathing in second hand smoke, air pollution, chemical fumes or dust from the environment or workplace can all contribute to COPD. Most people who have COPD are at least 40 years old when symptoms begin.⁹

About COPD Foundation

The COPD Foundation's mission is to prevent and cure chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and improve the lives of all people affected by COPD. The Foundation's activities focus on achieving these results through research, education and advocacy programs.  To learn more or get involved, call the C.O.P.D. Information Line at 1-866-316-COPD (2673) or join www.copd360social.org.

About AARC

The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) is a not-for-profit, professional organization, consisting of 50,000 respiratory therapists, physicians, and other health care professionals. AARC is dedicated to assisting persons with respiratory diseases receive safe and effective respiratory care. The AARC also publishes RESPIRATORY CARE, a peer-reviewed scientific journal listed in Index Medicus.

GSK – one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.  For further information please visit www.gsk.com.

¹ National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Take the first step to breathing better. Available from www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/copd/index.htm. [Last Accessed October 2015]
² Everyday Health. Can You Stop the Progression of COPD? http://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease/can-you-stop-progression-of-copd/. [Last Accessed October 2015]
³ NIH Medline Plus. COPD: When You Learn More, You'll Breathe Better. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/winter07/articles/winter07pg24-25.html. [Last Accessed October 2015]
⁴ NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Morbidity & Mortality: 2012 Chart Book on Cardiovascular, Lung and Blood Diseases. Available at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/research/2012_ChartBook_508.pdf. [Last accessed October 2015].
⁵ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Expenditures. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011.
⁶ The American Lung Association. Epidemiology and Statistics Unit. Trends in COPD (Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema): Morbidity and Morality. March 2013.
⁷ Landis, SH. et al. Continuing to Confront COPD International Patient Survey: methods, COPD prevalence, and disease burden in 2012–2013. International Journal of COPD, June 2014.
⁸ Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet; 2015. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60692-4. [Last Accessed September 2015].
⁹ National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Who is at risk for COPD? Available at:https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/copd/atrisk.html. [Last Accessed September 2015].

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