title: High prevalence of COPD symptoms in the general population contrasting with low awareness of the disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is underdiagnosed because of limited disease awareness with trivialization of the symptoms in the general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey was conducted in a representative sample (n=2758) of individuals older than 40 years of age in the general population of France. Respiratory symptoms and knowledge about COPD were assessed in individuals with or at risk for COPD (n=860, 31% of the sample).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the overall sample, 40% of individuals had a Medical Research Council dyspnea grade of 1 or more but only 9% spontaneously reported shortness of breath. Of these 9%, 72% reported limitations to their daily activities but only 14% believed they had severe lung disease. In the overall sample, only 220 (8%) individuals knew the term COPD and only 66% associated the term COPD with respiratory disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite a large proportion of individuals at risk for COPD or having COPD and a high prevalence of breathlessness, awareness of respiratory symptoms and knowledge of COPD were limited. These findings indicate a need for educating the general population about COPD.
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie et réanimation, université Paris Descartes, Hôtel Dieu, 1, place du Parvis-de-Notre-Dame, 75004 Paris, France. nicolas.roche@htd.aphp.fr
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Roche
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Neukirch
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carré
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Terrioux
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pouchain
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ostinelli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suret
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meleze
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huchon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012306:Risk; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D035862:Vulnerable Populations