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COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a serious lung disease that affects more than 12 million people in the U.S. The diagnosis of COPD includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Many people with COPD have both of these conditions. This is what happens with each:
The lung damage that happens with COPD cannot be repaired, and the disease cannot be cured. However, you can do a lot to reduce your symptoms and improve your quality life.
Call your doctor if these symptoms last longer than a day:
Most people develop COPD after many years of breathing in a substance that damages the lungs and airways, such as:
Not all cases of COPD come from breathing in substances from the environment. Family history can play a role too. People with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, for example, have an inherited form of emphysema.
Breathing problems can come from many different conditions. Before diagnosing COPD, your doctor will assess your lungs and overall health in these ways:
Treatment for COPD depends on the severity of your disease, your daily habits, and your overall health. Generally, treatment includes:
Your doctor can explain the plan for your treatment. Be sure to ask questions, and consider attending pulmonary rehabilitation.
To prevent COPD you must:
Complete avoidance of cigarette smoke — not just cutting — is the only way to prevent permanent lung damage. If you already have COPD, complete avoidance of cigarette smoke will help you live better and longer. Quitting now will help you:
Keep in mind that the average person makes at least five unsuccessful attempts to quit smoking before they’re able to stop for good. So try again. Millions of people have quit, and so can you.
Accept that you may need help to quit — many people do. Ask your doctor for medication or nicotine replacement therapy to help manage withdrawal symptoms and the desire to smoke. Check out Intermountain’s Quitting Tobacco: Your Journey to Freedom.
COPD takes many years to develop, and in its early stages doesn’t usually cause noticeable symptoms. Eventually, people with COPD experience these symptoms:
As COPD worsens, people may have these symptoms:
COPD symptoms tend to sneak up on people. Without being aware of it, people with COPD gradually do less and less, limiting their daily activity so they can avoid becoming out of breath. Most people only seek medical help later in life, at age 50 or more, when their breathing problems are difficult to ignore.