Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD as it is commonly referred to affects the lungs and the patient finds it difficult to breathe. The disease just keeps getting worse as time goes on. The main cause of COPD is smoking and it can affect you even if you have kicked the habit. Yes, there are other causes too – like pollution and inhaling harmful substances but cigarettes are the main culprits.
The trouble is, the disease creeps up on you and yet, today, over twelve million people in America alone suffer from this disease. In all probability, there are many more who the disease has affected who don’t even realize that they have it. Considering that Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is the fourth largest killer in the US, maybe it’s time people started getting serious about preventing this. It’s a condition that is not infectious, neither is it hereditary and it affects more men than women. You and you alone are responsible for this disease which is mainly caused by tobacco.
COPD is actually an umbrella name for a couple of pulmonary diseases which are caused mainly by smoking. What it does is to block the flow of air into the lungs so you find it very difficult to breathe. There is no cure for this condition and it just gets worse though drugs do help to control it a bit. You can do major lifestyle changes so that you feel better in which case you can slow down the speed with which the disease progresses.
How does it affect the lungs? In your lungs, there are millions of bronchioles or tiny tubes and the bronchial tubes bring in the air into your lungs and the air gets distributed through these tubes. They then disperse even further to the end of the tubes into tiny air sacs called alveoli. From here, the tiny blood vessels called capillaries take in the oxygen from the air and pass out the carbon dioxide. This is called the gas exchange and through this process, the blood gets cleaned. These air sacs are elastic and expand and contract as the air goes in and out. How COPD affects these sacs is to make the walls inflamed and thick and they lose their elasticity and cannot expand and contract as easily as they used to. There is also a lot of mucus formed with COPD and this too tends to clog up the air sacs resulting in a lot less oxygen getting into the blood and it leaves you feeling breathless.
COPD refers to emphysema as well as chronic bronchitis and it usually affects middle aged people. Chronic asthmatic bronchitis can also be classified as COPD depending on the symptoms. It is a disease that cannot be reversed so doctors try and slow down the progress of the disease by means of medication. The way to prevent getting this disease is simple – don’t smoke. Or even if you do, try and kick the habit as soon as you possibly can. This is because if you’ve been a long time smoker, your lungs can get so bad that even if you do give it up, you could still get COPD. You stand a chance to escape this dangerous disease if you never smoke or if you give up smoking in the early days. Otherwise, you are at risk.
How do you know when the disease begins to make an appearance? It could start with a cough which doesn’t go away but gets worse. You could experience breathlessness and your bronchial tubes could be inflamed and irritated. You will probably be prescribed steroids or an inhaler to ease the symptoms and to open up the airways. In some cases, the person will have to be put on oxygen because he feels so out of breath.
COPD is the leading cause of people taking time off from work and it also figures as one out of every eight admissions into hospitals. Even in an advanced stage, if you stop smoking, you will feel some benefit. While it may be too late to halt the disease from progressing at least you will make the progress slower by throwing out those cigarettes. Don’t get worried if your cough gets worse when you stop – this is just your body’s way to get things going again and throw out all the poisons inside.
What you can do if you are an unfortunate victim of COPD is to exercise a bit because it slows down the disease and you can also get a flu preventive injection so it does not complicate things. You should also get a preventive injection against pneumonia. You need to be careful while you are traveling, especially flying and you must discuss this with the airline when you get your tickets. This is in case of an emergency should you feel breathless in mid air. You might need oxygen handy in an emergency. Remember to keep your medication by you at all times so you can feel better before the attack gets too bad.
Make sure you see your doctor regularly and review your condition with the doctor each time so you know what you are doing wrong or right. Following a healthy lifestyle will usually extend your life span and you can look forward to leading a healthier life than if you were still smoking.