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Over 24 million people in the U.S. have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). It is the third-leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability.

COPD is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. It can cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and other symptoms.

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Most people who have COPD smoke or used to smoke. However, up to 25 percent of people with COPD never smoked. Long-term exposure to other lung irritants — such as air pollution, chemical fumes or dusts — also may contribute to COPD.

COPD symptoms can lead to worse quality of life, more doctor visits, hospitalizations, and increased symptoms of depression and anxiety.

There are many approved new medicines to help people with COPD manage their symptoms. Despite this, many patients still have a difficult time breathing or have frequent exacerbations. One possible explanation for this is that people may not be taking their medicines as prescribed.

Resisting medication

Research studies show that only 25 percent of COPD patients take most of their prescribed medicines, while pharmacy data shows that COPD patients get refills of their medicines at lower rates than patients with other chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Not taking medicine for COPD as prescribed can lead to negative health outcomes in the long run for patients.

There has been very little research looking at how patients take their COPD medicines. In order to create interventions to help patients, doctors need to know how COPD patients manage their symptoms on a day-to-day basis. Different COPD patients may need different interventions due to their disease, beliefs about illness, treatment plans, and presence of multiple chronic medical conditions.

A new study has been designed to identify potential ideas for behavioral interventions in COPD. Known as the Medication Adherence Research in COPD study (MARC), it will be the first to look at the effect of medication adherence on COPD progression in a diverse group. This study is sponsored by the National Institutes for Health and is led Johns Hopkins doctors.

Taking part in the study

Johns Hopkins is now recruiting 360 COPD patients for the study, who will be compensated for their time.

Patients may be considered for the MARC study if they are:

• over the age of 40,
• have been diagnosed with COPD,
• and are currently prescribed a long term/daily medication for COPD.

Potential participants will first visit Johns Hopkins Bayview campus for lung function testing to determine if they are eligible for the study.

If eligible, patients will participate in the study for two years, visiting Johns Hopkins Bayview every six months to measure their lung function and other health indicators.

Everyone in the study will be given electronic devices that dispense and monitor medication taken. In addition, participants will get telephone calls to talk to researchers about their health and medication adherence.

To learn more or to volunteer, call (410) 550-1505 or (410) 550-1032.