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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

  
 
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    WHEREAS, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a 
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term used to describe airflow obstruction that is associated 
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mainly with emphysema and chronic bronchitis; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, COPD affects an estimated 24 million people and 
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kills more than 120,000 Americans every year; on average, one 
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person dies from COPD every 4 minutes, an alarming statistic 
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for a disease many have not learned about; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, Of the top 5 diseases that kill Americans, 
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including heart disease and cancer, all but COPD are on the 
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decline; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, Pulmonary experts predict that, by the year 2020, 
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COPD will become the 3rd leading cause of death worldwide; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, COPD currently accounts for 1.5 million emergency 
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room visits, 726,000 hospitalizations, and 8 million physician 
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office and hospital outpatient visits, all of which are a 
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detriment to the U.S. economy; COPD costs the nation an 
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estimated $42.6 billion in direct and indirect medical costs 
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annually; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, COPD affects over 550,000 citizens of the State of 
 


 






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Illinois; the Illinois COPD Coalition, convened by the 
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Respiratory Health Association, is implementing the State Plan 
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for Addressing COPD in Illinois, a state-wide effort to 
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increase early detection, improve care and treatment, and 
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prevent and reduce the prevalence of the disease; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, Research has identified a hereditary protein 
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deficiency called Alpha-1 Antitrypsin; people with this 
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deficiency tend to develop COPD, even without exposure to 
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smoking or environmental triggers; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Recently, the death rate for women with COPD has 
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surpassed the death rate of men with COPD; women over the age 
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of 40 are the fastest-growing segment of the population 
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developing this irreversible disease, due in large part to the 
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equalization of opportunities for men and women to smoke over 
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the past several generations; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, There is currently no cure for COPD; modern 
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medical treatments can only address symptom relief and possibly 
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slow the progression of the disease; therefore, be it
  
 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE 
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SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the month of 
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November as COPD Awareness Month in the State of Illinois in 
 


 






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recognition of this deadly disease and its effects on the 
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citizens of this State.