This indicator shows the average annual age-adjusted emergency room visit rate due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) per 10,000 population aged 18 years and older. Cases of bronchitis not specified as acute or chronic, asthma, and extrinsic allergic alveolitis were excluded.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. According to the American Lung Association, COPD includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and bronchiectasis. It does not include other obstructive diseases such as asthma. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in America, claiming the lives of 122,283 Americans in 2003. COPD is often related to tobacco use, but can also be caused by air pollutants in the home and workplace, genetic factors, and respiratory infections. In 2004, the cost to the nation for COPD was approximately $37.2 billion, including healthcare expenditures of $20.9 billion in direct health care expenditures, $7.4 billion in indirect morbidity costs and $8.9 billion in indirect mortality costs.