chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
The respiratory system and cross-sections of healthy alveoli and alveoli with COPD.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a combination of two lung conditions: chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD severely restricts air flow in and out of the lungs. Bronchitis causes inflammation and narrowing of the airways, while emphysema results in damage to the alveoli (tiny air sacs) in the lungs, making them much less effective at transferring oxygen from the lungs to the bloodstream.
Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of COPD and most people who suffer from it are smokers or former smokers. Breathing in other kinds of lung irritants, like pollution, dust, or chemicals, over a long period of time may also cause or contribute to COPD.
The airways branch out like an upside-down tree (see bronchial tree), and at the end of each branch are many small, balloon-like air sacs – the alveoli. In healthy people, each airway is clear and open. The alveoli are small and dainty, and both the airways and air sacs are elastic and springy. When you breathe in, each alveolus fills up with air like a small balloon; when you breathe out, the balloon deflates and the air goes out. In COPD, the airways and alveoli lose their shape and become floppy. Less air gets in and less air goes out because:
COPD develops slowly, and it may be many years before you notice symptoms
like feeling short of breath. Most of the time, COPD is diagnosed in middle-aged
or older people.
COPD is a major cause of death and illness, and it is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and throughout the world.
There is no cure for COPD. The damage to your airways and lungs cannot be reversed, but there are things you can do to feel better and slow the damage.
COPD is not contagious – you cannot catch it from someone else.
Causes
Smoking is the most common cause of COPD.
Most cases of COPD develop after repeatedly breathing in fumes and other things that irritate and damage the lungs and airways. Cigarette smoking is the most common irritant that causes COPD. Pipe, cigar, and other types of tobacco smoke can also cause COPD, especially if the smoke is inhaled. Breathing in other fumes and dusts over a long period of time may also cause COPD. The lungs and airways are highly sensitive to these irritants. They cause the airways to become inflamed and narrowed, and they destroy the elastic fibers that allow the lung to stretch and then return to its resting shape. This makes breathing air in and out of the lungs more difficult.
Other things that may irritate the lungs and contribute to COPD include:
Being around secondhand smoke (smoke in the air from other people smoking cigarettes) also plays a role in an individual developing COPD.
Genes – tiny bits of information in your body cells passed on by your parents – may play a role in developing COPD. In rare cases, COPD is caused by a gene-related disorder called alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency. Alpha 1 antitrypsin is a protein in your blood that inactivates destructive proteins. People with antitrypsin deficiency have low levels of alpha 1 antitrypsin; the imbalance of proteins leads to the destruction of the lungs and COPD. If people with this condition smoke, the disease progresses more rapidly.
Who is at risk?
Most people with COPD are smokers or were smokers in the past. People with a family history of COPD are more likely to get the disease if they smoke. The chance of developing COPD is also greater in people who have spent many years in contact with lung irritants, such as:
A person who has had frequent and severe lung infections, especially during childhood, may have a greater chance of developing lung damage that can lead to COPD. Fortunately, this is much less common today with antibiotic treatments.
Most people with COPD are at least 40 years old or around middle age when symptoms start. It is unusual, but possible, for people younger than 40 years of age to have COPD.
Signs and symptoms
The signs and symptoms of COPD include:
A cough that doesn't go away and coughing up lots of mucus are common signs of COPD. These often occur years before the flow of air in and out of the lungs is reduced. However, not everyone with a cough and sputum production goes on to develop COPD, and not everyone with COPD has a cough.
The severity of the symptoms depends on how much of the lung has been destroyed. If you continue to smoke, the lung destruction is faster than if you stop smoking.
Diagnosis
Doctors consider a diagnosis of COPD if you have the typical symptoms and a history of exposure to lung irritants, especially cigarette smoking. A medical history, physical exam, and breathing tests are the most important tests to determine if you have COPD.
Your doctor will examine you and listen to your lungs. Your doctor will also ask you questions about your family and medical history and what lung irritants you may have been around for long periods of time.
Breathing tests
Your doctor will use a breathing test called spirometry to confirm a diagnosis of COPD. This test is easy and painless and shows how well your lungs work. You breathe hard into a large hose connected to a machine called a spirometer. When you breathe out, the spirometer measures how much air your lungs can hold and how fast you can blow air out of your lungs after taking a deep breath.
Spirometry is the most sensitive and commonly used of lung function tests. It can detect COPD long before you have significant symptoms.
Based on this test, your doctor can determine if you have COPD and how severe it is. Doctors classify the severity of COPD as:
Your doctor may also recommend tests to rule out other causes of your signs and symptoms. These tests include:
Treatment
Quitting smoking is the single most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of developing COPD and slow the progress of the disease.
Your doctor will recommend treatments that help relieve your symptoms and help you breathe easier. However, COPD cannot be cured.
The goals of COPD treatment are to:
The treatment for COPD is different for each person. Your family doctor may recommend that you see a lung specialist called a pulmonologist.
Treatment is based on whether your symptoms are mild, moderate, or severe.
Medicines and pulmonary rehabilitation (rehab) are often used to help relieve your symptoms and to help you breathe more easily and stay active.
COPD medicines
Bronchodilators
Your doctor may recommend medicines called bronchodilators that work by relaxing the muscles around your airways. This type of medicine helps to open your airways quickly and make breathing easier. Bronchodilators can be either short acting or long acting.
Most bronchodilator medicines are inhaled, so they go directly into your lungs where they are needed. There are many kinds of inhalers and/or vaporizers you can use and it is important to know how to use them correctly.
If you have mild chronic , your doctor may recommend that you use a short-acting bronchodilator. You then will use the inhaler only when needed.
If you have moderate or severe COPD, your doctor may recommend regular treatment with one or more inhaled bronchodilators. You may be told to use one long-acting bronchodilator. Some people may need to use a long-acting bronchodilator and a short-acting bronchodilator. This is called combination therapy.
Inhaled glucocorticosteroids (steroids)
Inhaled steroids are used for some people with moderate or severe COPD. Inhaled steroids work to reduce airway inflammation. Your doctor may recommend that you try inhaled steroids for a trial period of 6 weeks to 3 months to see if the medicine is helping with your breathing problems.
Flu shots
Influenza) can cause serious problems in people with COPD. Flu shots can reduce the chance of getting the flu. You should get a flu shot every year.
Pneumococcal vaccine
This vaccine should be administered to those with COPD to prevent a common cause of pneumonia. Revaccination may be necessary after 5 years in those older than 65 years of age.
Pulmonary rehabilitation
Pulmonary rehabilitation (rehab) is a coordinated program of exercise, disease management training, and counseling that can help you stay more active and carry out your day-to-day activities. What is included in your pulmonary rehab program will depend on what you and your doctor think you need. It may include exercise training, nutrition advice, education about your disease and how to manage it, and counseling. The different parts of the rehab program are managed by different types of health care professionals (doctors, nurses, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, exercise specialists, dietitians) who work together to develop a program just for you. Pulmonary rehab programs can include some or all of the following aspects.
Medical evaluation and management
To decide what you need in your pulmonary rehab program, a medical evaluation will be done. This may include getting information on your health history and what medicines you take, doing a physical exam, and learning about your symptoms. A spirometry measurement may also be done before and after you take a bronchodilator medicine.
Setting goals
You will work with your pulmonary rehab team to set goals for your program. These goals will look at the types of activities that you want to do. For example, you may want to take walks every day, do chores around the house, and visit with friends. These things will be worked on in your pulmonary rehab program.
Exercise training
Your program may include exercise training. This training includes showing you exercises to help your arms and legs get stronger. You may also learn breathing exercises that strengthen the muscles needed for breathing.
Education
Many pulmonary rehab programs have an educational component that helps you learn about your disease and symptoms, commonly used treatments, different techniques used to manage symptoms, and what you should expect from the program. The education may include meeting with (1) a dietitian to learn about your diet and healthy eating; (2) an occupational therapist to learn ways that are easier on your breathing to carry out your everyday activities; or (3) a respiratory therapist to learn about breathing techniques and how to do respiratory treatments.
Program results (outcomes)
You will talk with your pulmonary rehab team at different times during your program to go over the goals that you set and see if you are meeting them. For example, if your goal is to walk every day for 30 minutes, you will talk to members of your pulmonary team and tell them how often you are walking and for how long. The team is interested in helping you reach your goals.
Oxygen treatment
If you have severe COPD and low levels of oxygen in your blood, you are not getting enough oxygen on you own. Your doctor may recommend oxygen therapy to help with your shortness of breath. You may need extra oxygen all the time or some of the time. For some people with severe COPD, using extra oxygen for more than 15 hours a day can help them:
Surgery
For some people with severe chronic , surgery may be recommended. Surgery is usually done for people who have:
The two types of surgeries considered in the treatment of severe chronic are:
A small group of these patients who also had low exercise capacity after pulmonary rehabilitation but before surgery were also more likely to function better after LVRS than similar patients who received medical treatment only.
A lung transplant may be done for some people with very severe COPD. A transplant involves removing the lung of a person with COPD and replacing it with a healthy lung from a donor.
Preventing progression
If you smoke, the most important thing you can do to stop more damage to your lungs is to quit smoking. Many hospitals have smoking cessation programs or can refer you to one.
It is also important to stay away from people who are smoking and places where you know there will be smokers.
Staying away from other lung irritants such as pollution, dust, and certain cooking or heating fumes is also important. For example, you should stay in your house when the outside air quality is poor.
Managing complications and preventing sudden onset of problems
People with COPD often have symptoms that suddenly get worse. When this happens, you have a much harder time catching your breath. You may also have chest tightness, more coughing, change in your sputum, and a fever. It is important to call your doctor if you have any of these signs or symptoms.
Your doctor will look at things that might be causing these signs and symptoms to suddenly worsen. Sometimes the signs and symptoms are caused by a lung infection. Your doctor may want you to take an antibiotic medicine that helps fight off the infection.
Your doctor may also recommend additional medicines to help with your breathing. These medicines include bronchodilators and glucocorticosteroids.
Your doctor may recommend that you spend time in the hospital if:
Living with COPD
Although there is no cure for COPD, your symptoms can be managed, and damage to your lungs can be slowed. If you smoke, quitting is the most important thing you can do to help your lungs. Information is available on ways to help you quit smoking. You also need to try to stay away from people who are smoking or places where there is smoking.
It is important to keep the air in your home clean. Here are some things that may help you in your home:
See your doctor at least two times a year, even if you are feeling fine. Make sure you bring a list of medicines you are taking to your doctor visit.
Ask your doctor or nurse about getting a flu shot and pneumonia vaccination.
Keep your body strong by learning breathing exercises and walking and exercising regularly.
Eat healthy foods. Ask your family to help you buy and fix healthy foods. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Eat protein food like meat, fish, eggs, milk, and soy.
If your doctor has told you that you have severe COPD, there are some things that you can do to get the most out of each breath. Make your life as easy as possible at home by:
If you are finding that it is becoming more difficult to catch your breath, your coughing has gotten worse, you are coughing up more mucus, or you have signs of infection (such as a fever and feeling poorly), you need to call your doctor right away. Your doctor may do a spirometry test, blood work, and a chest X-ray. Your doctor may also:
It is helpful to have certain information on hand in case you need to go to the hospital or doctor right away. You should plan now to make sure you have:
When to get emergency help
You should get emergency help if:
