PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Bankhead, Charles TI - COPD Patients have Significant Disease Burden before Diagnosis DP - 2010 Jul 01 TA - MD Conference Express PG - 3--3 VI - 10 IP - 3 4099 - http://mdc.sagepub.com/content/10/3/3.short 4100 - http://mdc.sagepub.com/content/10/3/3.full AB - Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have a significant respiratory disease burden in the 2 years leading up to diagnosis. This article reviews a large general practice database from the United Kingdom showed that 42% of COPD patients had one or more acute respiratory events in the 24 months prior to diagnosis.