Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a respiratory disease that can make it extremely difficult to breath. Individuals with this condition may have had severe trauma to the lungs that caused serious scarring, such as recurrent pneumonia or chronic bronchitis. This condition may also be caused by inhaling respiratory irritants such as smoke or harmful chemicals; many doctors will diagnose a patient with chronic bronchitis or emphysema as having COPD.
It is estimated that COPD is responsible for over 120,000 deaths each year. What happens inside your body when you have COPD, are the small tubes in your lungs responsible for carrying oxygen in and out become partially blocked and make this process extremely difficult. This can leave your oxygen level too low and sometimes, make your CO2 (carbon dioxide) levels too high.
Some symptoms associated with COPD are:
- Excessive coughing, AKA smokers cough
- An overproduction of sputum
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Feeling like you cant breath
- And the inability to take a deep breath
COPD is a sneaky condition that can progressively get worse overtime. Many young smokers are believed to have the early warning signs of COPD, which are the excessive sputum and “smokers cough”. Specialists suggest that these individuals will not develop the full blown symptoms listed above until they are in their forties. At this time it will be too late to do anything about it.
While there is no cure for COPD, you can take preventive measures to ensure you do not harm the lungs any further. Number one is… Quit smoking!! Smoking is the number one cause of COPD; it accounts for 9 out of 10 COPD related deaths. The second is, if possible to move to a rural setting where air quality is better. If this is not possible watch the air quality report everyday and stay indoors when the air quality is down. Also try to avoid other pollutants such as dust, cigarette smoke, and strong fumes of any kind. Get your flu shot every year. Do not take this lightly; it may save your life. Influenza can be deadly for individuals with COPD. The flu has a tendency to attack the weakest part of your body, and for people with COPD this is the lungs.
COPD is an extremely difficult disease to live with, and in most cases it can be prevented. A study put out by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute states there are over 12 million diagnosed cases of COPD. The institute estimates there are another 12 million cases that have not been diagnosed. This report also states that COPD is the 4th leading cause of deaths, and long term disability in the United States. Remember, smoking is the number one cause of this disease if you smoke, and you have any of the symptoms listed above, the need to quit is NOW! COPD will progressively get worse if you continue to smoke; if you stop now your quality of life may not be affected.
No matter how you may have gotten COPD, you must prevent further damage. Following the instructions put in place by your doctor will most certainly keep you healthy longer. Remember, with COPD prevention is key!
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