High prevalence of COPD symptoms in the general population contrasting with low awareness of the disease

Summary Introduction 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.