2 hours ago
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it causes more than 150,000 deaths each year.
COPD gradually damages the air sacs in the lungs, reducing airflow and making breathing difficult.
In 2024, Louisiana ranked 12th highest in the nation for the percentage of adults reporting COPD, with an average of 8% of adults affected. Only four Louisiana parishes had rates below the national average of 6.5%.
These parishes had the highest percentages of adults with COPD, listed from highest to lowest:
- East Carroll Parish: 12.7%
- Madison Parish: 11.8%
- Claiborne Parish: 11.6%
- Bienville Parish: 10.8%
- Tensas Parish: 10.7%
- Concordia Parish: 10.5%
- Avoyelles and Franklin Parishes: 10.4%
- Morehouse and Webster Parishes: 10.3%
Conversely, these parishes had the lowest percentages of adults with COPD, listed from lowest to highest:
- Ascension, West Feliciana, and St. Tammany Parishes: 6.1%
- St. Charles Parish: 6.2%
- Jefferson Parish: 6.5%
- East Baton Rouge, Orleans, and West Baton Rouge Parishes: 6.6%
- Lafayette Parish: 6.7%
- St. James and St. John the Baptist Parishes: 6.8%
- Bossier and Plaquemines Parishes: 6.9%
Common symptoms of COPD include difficulty catching your breath, wheezing, chest tightness, and a chronic cough.
