A new study being launched in northeastern Iowa will target ways to overcome a seriously debilitating disease. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, C-O-P-D, is the number-four killer in the U.S. It’s also known as chronic bronchitis, emphysema or smoker’s lung. Dr. Mark Janes, a Dubuque physician, is one of about 70 doctors nationwide who are taking part in the 28-week study. They’re testing out the safety and effectiveness of an experimental oral medication for C-O-P-D, which Dr. Janes says has a radical effect on a person’s lifestyle.Their shortness of breath forces them into a sedentary lifestyle; they have trouble getting dressed, eating, showering, shaving and doing any activities of routine daily living. Dr. Janes says better than 99-percent of C-O-P-D cases are caused by cigarette smoking.C-O-P-D is responsible for 119-thousand deaths in the U.S. each year, while 726-thousand people nationwide are hospitalized with the lung disease each year.
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