That nagging, persistent cough may be a sign of a more serious illness.  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or C-O-P-D , affects more than 24 million Americans, yet half are undiagnosed.  Doctor Barbara Yawn is the Director of Research at Olmstead Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota:

�C-O-P-D is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and we used to refer to it as emphysema or chronic bronchitis, and it causes shortness of breath.  C-O-P-D is largely preventable; as its number-one cause is cigarette smoking, but it�s also treatable.  Bronchodilators, including things such as the Foradil Aerolizer^�, are considered to be central to managing C-O-P-D because they open up or dilate the bronchial or breathing tubes.�

C-O-P-D  is currently the fourth leading cause of death, behind heart disease, cancer and stroke.   November is C-O-P-D  Awareness Month, so it�s a good time to consult your physician or find out more by visiting w-w-w-dot-goldcopd-dot-com. 

Stand by for important patient information: Foradil Aerolizers indicated for the long-term twice daily (morning and evening) administration in a maintenance treatment of bronchoconstriction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.  In C-O-P-D clinical studies the most common side effects reported in Foradil Aerolizer and placebo groups, respectively, were upper respiratory infections (7.4 percent vs. 5.7 percent), back pain (4.2 percent vs. 4.0 percent) and sore throat (3.5 percent vs. 2.4 percent).  Side effects with Foradil Aerolizer are similar to other selective beta₂-agonists, and include: chest pain, high or low blood pressure, fast heartbeats, irregular heartbeats, nervousness, headache, dry mouth, muscle cramps, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, tiredness, low blood potassium, accumulation of acid in the body, and difficulty sleeping. Foradil Aerolizer should not be used to treat acute symptoms or used more than twice daily. Acute symptoms should be treated with inhaled, short-acting beta₂-agonists. Foradil Aerolizer should be used with caution in patients with cardiovascular disorders. Foradil Aerolizer is not a substitute for inhaled or oral corticosteroids and, in the treatment of asthma; they should not be stopped or reduced.

Full prescribing information is available at w-w-w-dot-foradil-dot-us.