RESEARCH e t

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBoth the prevalence and the incidence increased with age [2,3]. The health economic costs were ten times higher in severe compared to mild COPD, and the authors sug-gested that early diagnosis is necessary to avoid disease progression and reduce costs for the society [4]. intermittent cessation, reduced the excess lung function decline due to tobacco smoke [7-9], and decreased the risk of exacerbations [10]. COPD is an underdiagnosed disease [3], and obtaining the COPD diagnosis seems important because it has been shown that smoking cessation was more common among those with a diagnosis [11]. Further, studies have shown * Correspondence: linnea.hedman@nll.sethe near future [1]. In northern Sweden, the prevalence ofCOPD. Smoking cessation is the most important way to improve prognosis. The aim of the study was to describe difficulties of smoking cessation experienced by individuals with COPD who are unable to stop smoking. Methods: Ten smokers (five women) with COPD, GOLD stage II, participated in semi-structured interviews in 2010