Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the name for a collection of lung diseases including chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic obstructive airways disease. People with COPD have trouble breathing in and out. This is referred to as airflow obstruction.
Breathing difficulties are caused by long-term damage to the lungs, usually because of smoking.
Useful Links
Guide to the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and risks of COPD from the HSE
QUIT is a HSE health education campaign aimed at encouraging smokers to quit. We want to reduce the numbers of smokers in Ireland and reduce the level of illness and deaths caused by tobacco use. The campaign is based on a fact that is not well known among the public. That fact is that 1 in every 2 smokers will die of a tobacco related disease.