World COPD Day 2022: Know about the world's 3rd deadliest disease

New Delhi, Nov 18: World COPD Day is commemorated annually on November 16th to increase public awareness about chronic inflammatory pulmonary diseases. The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) in collaboration with health care professionals and COPD patient organisations around the world, aims to raise awareness, share knowledge, and discuss ways to reduce the burden of COPD worldwide.

Theme

The 2022 theme for World COPD Day is 'Your Lungs for Life'. This year's theme aims to highlight the importance of lifelong lung health. You are born with only one set of lungs. From development to adulthood, keeping lungs healthy is an integral part of health and well-being. This campaign will focus on contributing factors to COPD from birth to adulthood and what can be done to promote lifelong lung health as well as protect vulnerable populations, according to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease - GOLD.

History

The first World COPD Day was held in 2002. Each year organizers in more than 50 countries have carried out activities, making the day one of the world's most important COPD awareness and education events. World COPD Day is organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) in collaboration with health care professionals and COPD patient groups throughout the world.

The WHO has reported that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide, causing 3.23 million deaths in 2019.