This post is solely educational, kindly refer to your nurse or physician for detailed information.
What is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow obstruction and breathing problems. It is an umbrella term including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD makes breathing difficult for the 16 million Americans living with the disease. Millions of people suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but it is often undiagnosed and untreated. While there is no cure for COPD, its symptoms are treatable. COPD is generally associated with smoking or exposure to harmful chemicals that by time damage the airways, making it harder for oxygenation to occur and as a result one becomes more breathless.
The main symptoms of COPD are:
breathlessness, particularly when one is active /exerting force
a persistent chesty cough with sputum – some people may not give this much attention and say it's just a "smoker's cough"
frequent chest infections
wheezing
Without treatment, these symptoms usually get progressively worse. There may also be periods when they get suddenly worse, known as an exacerbation.
Diagnosing COPD A lot of times, COPD is overlooked. A lot of people with COPD may not know they have it until it's pretty far forward in the disease. Your doctor will look at your signs and symptoms, talk to you about your family and medical background, and ask you about any lung irritants, especially cigarette smoke, that you've been exposed to. To figure out what's wrong, your doctor may order more than one test.
Some tests might be:
Tests of lung function (pulmonary) health. The tests check how much air you can breathe in and out and see if your lungs are bringing enough oxygen to your blood. Most tests, called spirometry, have you blow into a big tube that is hooked up to a small machine. The machine then measures how much air your lungs can hold and how fast you can blow it out. Other tests include measuring of lung volumes and diffusing capacity, six-minute walk test, and pulse oximetry.
X-ray of the chest :The main cause of COPD, emphysema, can be seen on a chest X-ray. An X-ray can also rule out heart failure or other lung problems.
A CT scan. A CT scan of your lungs can help find emphysema and tell you if surgery for COPD might help you. CT scans can also be used to check for lung cancer.
Arterial blood gases. This blood test checks how well your lungs are changing carbon dioxide into oxygen and oxygen into blood.
You could also do an online questionnaire test to diagnose if you have any onset of COPD this could be done by clicking here .( Note these tests aren't accurate and one should consult a doctor if it is abnormal or if one is experiencing any symptoms )
Causes of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease occurs when the lung airways become inflamed, damaged and narrowed. The main reason is smoking, although the condition sometimes affects people who have never smoked. The more you smoke, and the longer you smoke, the more likely you are to develop COPD .Around 90% of all COPD patients have exposure to first hand or second hand cigarette smoke. So if you're reading this and still smoke please look into our smoking cessation section and try to push yourself to stop, for your own health and well-being. Other COPD cases are caused by prolonged exposure to toxic fumes. Some COPD cases are the result of rare genetic problems that mean the lungs are more susceptible to damage. Treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Lung damage in COPD is permanent, but treatment can help slow the progression of the disease and manage its symptoms. Treatment includes: Quit smoking - the most important thing you can do if you have COPD and smoke. Inhalers and medicines - make breathing easier Pulmonary Rehabilitation - a dedicated exercise and training program Vaccination and Personal Protective Equipment - help to prevent infections and decrease disease severity. Lung transplant - although this is an option for very few people Management of COPD
The management for COPD varies from patient to patient. The condition cannot be cured , but for many people, treatment can help keep symptoms under control so it does not severely impact their daily activities. Having an active role in self-management of the disease may lead to a better health-related quality of life and also may decrease hospital admissions. Preventing COPD
COPD is generally a preventable condition. One can significantly reduce the chances of developing it if one avoids smoking or direct exposure to chemicals without personal protective equipment.. If you already smoke, stopping is essential to help prevent further damage to your lungs before it starts to cause troublesome symptoms.
If you think you need help to stop smoking, you can contact Tobacco Cessation service Malta on ; 8007 3333 to book appointment for support. You may also want to talk to a doctor about the stop smoking treatments available.
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