Health: The Other Lung Disease

It's America's fourth leading killer, and early diagnosis could save lives. Why don't doctors test for COPD?

It used to take Bernard Regeth, 76, just 15 minutes to harness his two horses. "Now," says the retired mechanic from River Falls, Wis., "it takes a good hour. I put the collar on, and I have to sit down and rest. I put the harness on, and I have to sit down and rest. I buckle the harness, and I have to sit down and rest." If he exerts himself too much at a routine task like sweeping the kitchen floor, he feels as if he's suffocating. "I have to completely sit down and take a puff off of one...

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