COPD is a term used for a number of lung conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It leads to damaged airways in the lungs, making the airways narrower and so harder for air to get in and out of the lungs.
The commonest cause of COPD is smoking. Once you stop smoking, your chances of developing COPD lessen and if you already have COPD, stopping smoking slows down the progression of COPD. Some occupational factors also cause COPD such as coal dust and there are some inherited factors that cause COPD.
The best way of diagnosing COPD is through Spirometry, a simple breathing test that can be done at your GP surgery. Early diagnosis as in most illness is better and symptoms include cough, phlegm and shortness of breath, sometimes symptoms only occur in winter. Occasionally, further tests are needed in hospital.
How people with COPD feel is very different from person to person. In mild cases, the symptoms are as described earlier. As the disease progresses people feel more short of breath to the point that normal activities become very difficult. The reaction to this is often to lessen physical activity in order to lessen the symptom of breathlessness, but this makes the person even more unfit, so that when they try to do any activity, the breathlessness is even worse. Shortness of breath can also cause a feeling of panic or anxiety. Fitness can be preserved and there are pulmonary rehabilitation courses which help with this.
COPD cannot be cured once you have it, but things can be done to help with symptoms and try to slow the progression.
Stopping smoking will help improve cough and phlegm and also slow the progression of the illness.
Diet. Sensible eating and maintaining a healthy weight means your lungs do not have to work as hard as someone who is overweight.
Exercise to maintain fitness levels and lessen breathlessness.
Bronchodilators can help in some people whose main symptom is breathlessness. The medicine is inhaled and works directly on the lungs.
Nebulisers can provide bigger doses of medicine but in most cases inhalers work just as well. What you are given depends on your response to treatment.
Steroids are sometimes used if you become suddenly short of breath with worsening symptoms. Your doctor may decide to give you steroids for a few days. Some people have inhaled steroids on a regular basis if the doctor feels these will help.
Antibiotics are also sometimes used for an exacerbation (sudden worsening) when phlegm changes colour, becomes much stickier or increases in amount.
Flu vaccination every autumn helps to reduce the risk of exacerbations caused by flu.
Some people with COPD have low oxygen levels in the blood. Oxygen will improve this but not help with the breathlessness. The decision about oxygen at home is made by tests done in hospital. Oxygen at home is given either by cylinders which can be portable, or an oxygen concentrator which is a machine that can take the oxygen out of the air. Oxygen is given via small plastic tubes which are soft and fit just inside the nostrils. The supply tube can be very long so you can move around your home easily.
The most important thing to remember is that there are treatments for COPD and the earlier you get help, the better it is.
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