Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow It Affects YouTypesSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentComplicationsSupportCopingNext in COPD GuideSymptoms of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How It Affects You
Types
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Complications
Support
Coping
Next in COPD Guide
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a long-term inflammatory lung condition that causes shortness of breath and breathing problems. COPD is a collective group of conditions, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, that develops over time from damage to the lungs from smoking and environmental pollution.
This article will overview the types of COPD; how COPD affects the body; its symptoms, diagnosis, treatment; and helpful resources for living with COPD.
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How COPD Affects the Body
COPD occurs when damage to the lungs causes chronic lung inflammation. This inflammation results in an obstructive lung problem in which it is difficult to exhale enough air from the body. Inflammation that occurs with COPD produces lung changes that include:
Types of COPD
COPD is primarily classified into two types, as follows:
COPD Symptoms
COPD causes symptoms that affect your lungs, airways, and your ability to breathe. Some symptoms present in the beginning while others worsen over time.
Early Signs
Early signs of COPD include noticeable changes in how you breathe. You may notice feeling winded or getting short of breath, especially with physical activity. An ongoing cough or coughing up a lot of mucus are also common.
Progressive COPD
As COPD progresses and gets worse, symptoms become more frequent and severe. Shortness of breath can occur at rest even without increased demands from physical activity. You may also experience chest tightness and fatigue from having to try harder to breathe.
Symptoms of COPD Exacerbation
Additional symptoms of COPD exacerbations include:
What Causes COPD?
Factors that increase your risk of developing COPD include:
How Is COPD Diagnosed?
Patients with a history of smoking, environmental pollution or hazard exposure, and symptoms like shortness of breath and ongoing cough should all be screened for COPD. An official COPD diagnosis is made through a breathing test called spirometry.
Spirometryis apulmonary function testthat examines how well your lungs are working. You will forcefully breathe out into the tube of a spirometer, a device that measures the force and amount of air that you can exhale. This will calculate yourforced expiratory volume (FEV1). A diagnosis of COPD is made if your FEV1 is less than 80%.
Stages of COPD
COPD Treatment
COPD symptoms can have a significant impact on your quality of life, so treatment is important for maintaining independence with your daily activities. Avoiding triggers is the most important part of treatment, but if your condition is severe, more involved treatment methods like oxygen therapy and surgery may be needed.
Self-Care
Because 85–90% of cases of COPD develop in smokers, stopping smoking is extremely important for managing symptoms and preventing exacerbations and progression of COPD. Consider joining an in-person or online smoking cessation program to help.
Avoiding exposure to air pollution, whenever possible, can also help decrease airway inflammation and reduce your severity of symptoms.
Medication
Medication that opens up your airways and decreases coughing and wheezing can help improve your ability to breathe. These include drugs like long-acting beta 2 agonists (LABAs) and long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMAs).
Staying healthy through regular vaccinations can also help decrease your risk of respiratory infections and decrease the likelihood of developing a COPD exacerbation. Inhaled corticosteroids may also be used to treat inflammation in the airways, often in combination with LABAs and LAMAs.
Certain medications can also be used to help you stop smoking, including varenicline, sustained-release bupropion, nortriptyline, nicotine gum, nicotine inhaler, nicotine nasal spray, and nicotine patches.
How to Realistically Quit Smoking: 24+ Steps to Take Right Now
Oxygen Therapy
If your breathing is significantly impaired and your blood oxygen level is too low, you may need supplemental oxygen to help you breathe. This will involve wearing plastic tubing called a nasal cannula connected to an oxygen tank or portable oxygen unit that delivers a steady flow of oxygen into your airways.
Surgery
Surgery for COPD may ultimately be needed if your condition is severe, and your lung function is significantly impaired. Surgical procedures for COPD may include:
Secondary COPD Complications
COPD often coexists with other medical conditions that can worsen symptoms of COPD. These include conditions like heart disease, bronchiectasis, chronic kidney disease, high cholesterol and/or triglycerides (dyslipidemia), diabetes, high blood pressure, lung cancer, obstructive sleep apnea, stroke, and heart attack.
While there aren’t exact rules that can determine how long a person can live with COPD, theBODE index(standing for body mass, obstruction of airflow, dyspnea or difficulty breathing, and exercise capacity) can help predict your life expectancy. The lower your BODE Index, the better your prognosis.
COPD Support and Resources
You shouldn’t have to go through living with COPD alone. Support groups through online forums, chat rooms, and in-person and virtual meetings can help you manage your condition and promote a healthier lifestyle, including working to stop smoking or decrease your tobacco use.
How to Find COPD Support Groups
Living a Healthy Life With COPD
How Walking Can Help Relieve COPD Symptoms
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sandelowsky H, Weinreich UM, Aarli BB, Sundh J, Høines K, Stratelis G, Løkke A, Janson C, Jensen C, Larsson K.COPD - do the right thing.BMC Fam Pract.2021 Dec 11;22(1):244. doi: 10.1186/s12875-021-01583-w.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What Is COPD?American Lung Association.COPD causes and risk factors.Vogelmeier CF, Román-Rodríguez M, Singh D, Han MK, Rodríguez-Roisin R, Ferguson GT.Goals of COPD treatment: Focus on symptoms and exacerbations.Respir Med.2020 May;166:105938. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2020.105938.COPD Foundation.Stages of COPD.Kaplan AG. Inhaled corticosteroid treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): boon or bane?J Am Board Fam Med. 2020;33(2):289-302. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2020.02.190227American Lung Association.Surgery for COPD.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sandelowsky H, Weinreich UM, Aarli BB, Sundh J, Høines K, Stratelis G, Løkke A, Janson C, Jensen C, Larsson K.COPD - do the right thing.BMC Fam Pract.2021 Dec 11;22(1):244. doi: 10.1186/s12875-021-01583-w.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What Is COPD?American Lung Association.COPD causes and risk factors.Vogelmeier CF, Román-Rodríguez M, Singh D, Han MK, Rodríguez-Roisin R, Ferguson GT.Goals of COPD treatment: Focus on symptoms and exacerbations.Respir Med.2020 May;166:105938. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2020.105938.COPD Foundation.Stages of COPD.Kaplan AG. Inhaled corticosteroid treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): boon or bane?J Am Board Fam Med. 2020;33(2):289-302. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2020.02.190227American Lung Association.Surgery for COPD.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Sandelowsky H, Weinreich UM, Aarli BB, Sundh J, Høines K, Stratelis G, Løkke A, Janson C, Jensen C, Larsson K.COPD - do the right thing.BMC Fam Pract.2021 Dec 11;22(1):244. doi: 10.1186/s12875-021-01583-w.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What Is COPD?American Lung Association.COPD causes and risk factors.Vogelmeier CF, Román-Rodríguez M, Singh D, Han MK, Rodríguez-Roisin R, Ferguson GT.Goals of COPD treatment: Focus on symptoms and exacerbations.Respir Med.2020 May;166:105938. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2020.105938.COPD Foundation.Stages of COPD.Kaplan AG. Inhaled corticosteroid treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): boon or bane?J Am Board Fam Med. 2020;33(2):289-302. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2020.02.190227American Lung Association.Surgery for COPD.
Sandelowsky H, Weinreich UM, Aarli BB, Sundh J, Høines K, Stratelis G, Løkke A, Janson C, Jensen C, Larsson K.COPD - do the right thing.BMC Fam Pract.2021 Dec 11;22(1):244. doi: 10.1186/s12875-021-01583-w.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What Is COPD?
American Lung Association.COPD causes and risk factors.
Vogelmeier CF, Román-Rodríguez M, Singh D, Han MK, Rodríguez-Roisin R, Ferguson GT.Goals of COPD treatment: Focus on symptoms and exacerbations.Respir Med.2020 May;166:105938. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2020.105938.
COPD Foundation.Stages of COPD.
Kaplan AG. Inhaled corticosteroid treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): boon or bane?J Am Board Fam Med. 2020;33(2):289-302. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2020.02.190227
American Lung Association.Surgery for COPD.
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