Smoking and COPD: Some Common Questions ABC News (Jul 23, 2001) by Jonathan Ilowite, MD / Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY / Healthology, Special to ABCNEWS.com Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, accounts for over 100,000 deaths per year in the United States alone, making it the fourth leading cause of death. COPD is actually a group of diseases that include chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthmatic bronchitis. . .