World COPD Day 2010 took place on Wednesday, November 17 around the theme “2010 - The Year of the Lung: Measure your lung health - Ask your doctor about a simple breathing test called spirometry.” This positive message was chosen to raise awareness of spirometry as the gold standard for diagnosis of COPD, and emphasize the actions a person can take to safeguard his or her lung health.

Numbers to Shout About

WCD organizers were in top form this year, sending us reports of 123 events! Special congratulations go to organizers in India, who reported 26 activities. Following closely behind were organizers in the UK, with 22 activity reports, and in the USA, with 19.

This year, events took place in a whopping 38 countries. We especially welcome the first activity reports ever from Bulgaria, Moldova, and Morocco. Each of these countries had activities worthy of shout-outs:

• The Bulgarian Respiratory Society coordinated events in seven cities. These included open door events offering free spirometry, a medical conference, and a program that enabled GPs to obtain advice from specialists in regard to patients with “hard-to-treat” COPD. In the city of Pleven, organizers facilitated a press conference with the mayor, who declared November 17 as “Day Without Cars, No Tobacco Day, Tree-Planting Day, and Day of Healthy Lungs.”
• The European Respiratory Society in Moldova offered a “COPD Electronic Marathon,” aimed at helping the public find useful information about COPD from social media. Organizers posted educational materials, videos, scientific articles, and patient stories about COPD, both for patients and doctors. Members of the public were encouraged to post on the site or share the posts. Kudos to these organizers for making creative use of the Internet and its social sites, including Facebook, to reach huge numbers of people!
• Morocco also emerged this year as a heavy hitter against COPD. The Association Franco-Marocaine de Pathologie Thoracique (AFMAPATH) provided medical caravans to provide diagnosis and treatment in disadvantaged and hard to reach areas. Participants included the country’s Minister of Health.

Slideshow!

Download a slideshow featuring photos of WCD 2010 activities (PPT).

The Year of the Lung

Many WCD events did credit to the 2010 WCD theme: "2010 - The Year of the Lung: Measure your lung health - Ask your doctor about a simple breathing test called spirometry." Here are just a few examples of the many diverse events that encouraged people to learn about the health of their lungs, while reminding physicians to offer spirometry to appropriate patients.

• In India, the Amrutha Varshini Chest Clinic provided free spirometry to poor patients, along with education about the health effects of smoking.
• In Chile, the Hospital Clinico Universidad de Chile held a community educational day at the main entrance of the hospital. All participants with risk factors for COPD were offered spirometry.
• In Kuwait, the Ministry of Health and Abdulaziz Al Rashid Allergy Center provided spirometry at a shopping mall, while engaging children with a coloring contest.
• In the UK, Stoke-on-Trent Community Health Services offered spirometry tests and followed up with advice, support, and referrals to additional services.
• In Iran, the Global Alliance Against Respiratory Diseases and the National Research Institute of TB and Lung Diseases teamed up to hold public screenings in public places in Tehran and to train health professionals at clinics and hospitals in the correct use of spirometry.
• The Macedonian Respiratory Society also turned its attention to health providers. It organized a workshop titled "COPD: A Global Social and Economic Problem," that emphasized the accessibility of spirometry the importance of early diagnosis of COPD.
• In the USA, Mission Hospital offered free spirometry for the community. Recognizing that health professionals are also susceptible to COPD, they made the test available to all hospital employees.
• In Mexico, the Global Alliance Against Chronic Respiratory Diseases held a campaign for the early detection of COPD throughout the month of November. More than 500 smokers had access to free spirometry testing and pulmonary consultations.

As always, you can visit our World COPD in Your Country page to read about all the activities that took place in your area and around the world.