GSK COPD survey shows many sufferers underestimate the severity of their condition

UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) has conducted a global survey of people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and found that the disease has gone from being the fourth leading cause of death in the USA to the third, after heart disease and cancer.

It also showed data suggesting that COPD prevalence had also increased from a decade ago, from 6% to 7% of adults aged 40 and over.

The survey also showed an elevated burden on the US health care system, with 26% of US participants saying they had visited the emergency room because of their COPD, and an additional 17% hospitalized within the last year. This is similar to the statistic reported from Mexico, but higher than those reported in most European countries surveyed.