What is COPD?
What do Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), Christy Turlington (super model), Amy Winehouse (singer), Johnny Carson (Tonight Show host) and Loni Anderson (actress) have in common?
All these celebrities are among the nearly 16 million American adults diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What is COPD?
COPD is not a single disease; it is a long-term condition that progressively blocks airflow, making it harder to breathe. COPD includes:
- Emphysema: When the tiny air sacs in the lungs lose their stretch and are damaged or destroyed making it harder to push air out
- Bronchitis: Airways consistently filled with thick mucus, irritated and swollen
Symptoms of COPD include:
- A persistent cough with mucus coming up
- Chest tightness or heaviness
- Fatigue, low energy
- Recurring respiratory infections
- Shortness of breath, especially during physical activity
- Wheezing when breathing
What causes COPD?
Consistent habits or environments that expose a person to elements that are harmful to the lungs and make breathing more difficult increase a person’s risk of COPD. Primary causes include:
- Smoking: Smoking is the number one cause of COPD. According to clinical research published in the U.S. Pharmacist, current smokers have a COPD diagnosis rate seven times higher than that of non-smokers. Former smokers’ rate of diagnosis is four times higher than that of non-smokers.
- Secondhand smoke: According to the American Cancer Society, exposure to household smoke during childhood or logging 10 or more hours per week of secondhand smoke exposure increases the risk of COPD.
- Air pollution and fumes: Breathing in chemical vapors, workplace dust or smoke from indoor cooking/heating fuels can cause lung damage over time. According to the American Lung Association, approximately 14% of COPD cases are linked to workplace exposure to dusts, fumes, vapors and gases.
- Genetics: According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, COPD can be caused by a rare inherited condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency even in non-smokers.
How is COPD treated?
While COPD cannot be cured, it can be managed to minimize the impact to your daily life. If you or your primary care provider suspect you have COPD, schedule an appointment with a pulmonologist. These physicians diagnose and treat conditions that affect the respiratory system, including the lungs, airways and breathing muscles.
The number one physician recommendation to decrease COPD symptoms is to quit smoking. Any other treatments cannot be as effective if you continue to smoke.
Other lifestyle changes recommended include:
- Avoid environments that can irritate your respiratory system. Stay away from secondhand smoke, chemical fumes and heavy indoor or outdoor air pollution. If you must be in these environments, limit the amount of time and wear a NIOSH-approved N95 mask.
- Stay current on vaccinations for COVID, flu and pneumonia as these illnesses all stress your respiratory system.
- Exercise and eat right: Your pulmonology care team will work with you to develop a diet and nutrition plan and exercise routine to strengthen breathing muscles.
Additional treatments may include:
- Inhalers and oral medications to reduce airway inflammation and swelling, relax the airway muscles thin mucus and reduce flare-ups
- Supportive therapies such as pulmonary rehabilitation, oxygen therapy and non-invasive ventilation
- Surgical options in more severe cases
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