LAS VEGAS, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Today actor, comedian Robert Klein
performed to a standing room only crowd of respiratory therapists and other
cardiopulmonary professionals.  He opened with a song all of us can
understand, belting out, "I don't like getting older, it doesn't seem quite
fair."  From that first stanza the crowd was hooked and ready for more.
    Klein addressed cardiopulmonary professionals during the American
Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) International Respiratory Congress in
Las Vegas.  His purpose is to promote national awareness, along with the AARC,
for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the respiratory illness that
affects millions of Americans and is more commonly known as emphysema or
chronic bronchitis.
    Klein's goal is to help those people who have smoked understand that there
is something they can do to help themselves.  Klein, who describes himself as
a "smoke-aholic" and who smoked for more than 20 years said, "[Former smokers]
don't have to feel guilty.  There are things they can do and I hope my story
will help them take that first step."
    Klein, who began his stand-up comedy career in 1963 performing in smoke-
filled clubs across the country, was diagnosed with COPD 10 years ago.  Of the
estimated 24 million Americans who suffer from the symptoms of COPD, only
10 million have been diagnosed.  Although Klein's COPD symptoms are mild and
he remains in good health, he is offering his experience and name to raise
awareness of this illness.
    "I started smoking in high school and have fought this habit ever since,"
explained Klein.  It was in the 1960s that Klein's cigarette habit grew to two
packs a day.
    "Everyone smoked back then," said Klein, who became aware of a constant
cough in his early 40s.  "I just accepted the cough as a result of the
smoking.  That was my mistake."
    Although Klein didn't know it at the time, his persistent cough was the
first symptom of COPD.  He wasn't diagnosed with COPD until 1993, after he had
quit smoking for more than six years.
    "It was during a routine physical when my doctor, a pulmonary specialist,
was concerned about my cough and had me take a spirometry test," Klein said.
"He asked me to blow into this machine, which tested my lung function."
    Spirometry is routinely given by respiratory therapists and is a simple
breathing test that predicts lung function.
    "Those who are in their 40s and are current or former smokers should have
this simple test," says Gretchen Lawrence, BA, RRT, FAARC.  Lawrence, a
respiratory therapist from Texas, works closely with the National Lung Health
Education Program, which is working to encourage primary care physicians to
include spirometry tests in all their exams as the fourth vital sign -- behind
pulse, blood pressure, and respiration rate.
    Smokers or current smokers shouldn't wait until they see the first signs
of a nagging cough to seek help, Lawrence emphasizes.  But if you do notice
symptoms such as a cough, shortness of breath or excessive mucus production,
then you should see your primary care physician as soon as possible.
    Klein considers himself fortunate to be in relatively good health, fully
able to maintain a vigorous work schedule.  He strives to maintain healthy
lungs through his medication and regular workout sessions.  However, he freely
admits he still battles the desire to smoke.
    "I was able to quit.  And like Mark Twain once said, 'I am an expert at
quitting smoking.  I've done it many times,'" Klein said.
    The American Association for Respiratory Care is a professional membership
association of respiratory therapists that focuses primarily on respiratory
therapy education and research.  The organization's goals are to ensure that
respiratory patients receive safe and effective care from qualified
professionals and to benefit respiratory health care providers.  The
association continues to advocate, on behalf of pulmonary patients, for
appropriate access to respiratory services provided by qualified
professionals.  Mr. Klein's keynote address was supported by an unrestricted
grant from Boehringer Ingelheim.

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