COPD or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease
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COPD or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Having a lung disease is never an easy thing to live with.
Our lungs are very important to healthy life and function. If
you have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, you
know that breathing doesn’t always come easily. COPD is
basically a combination of two other respiratory diseases-
emphysema and bronchitis. With these diseases, just like with
COPD, the flow of air through the lungs and bronchial tubes is
blocked. This is usually a permanent condition which gets worse
over time, making it very difficult for the sufferer to
breathe.
Causes of COPD
What causes COPD and what can be done about it? The number
one cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the
United States is smoking. Statistics show that nearly 15% of
smokers will develop COPD. Cigarette smoke damages the lungs in
several ways. One of the best ways to prevent COPD or to
prevent it from getting worse is to stop smoking immediately
and try to avoid being around smoke since the exact effects of
second hand smoke on COPD are not completely known.
There are other things that can cause or contribute to COPD
as well. Indoor and outdoor air pollution can cause or worsen
COPD. Stoves used for cooking as well as silica and similar
pollutants are dangerous as well. Another cause of COPD is a
rare genetic condition called AAT. This causes about 1% of the
cases of COPD each year.
If you have COPD, it is important that you learn as much as
you can about what caused it and what type you have. You can do
this by working together with your doctor and talking about
your past, medical history, family history and symptoms.
Working together with your doctor, you can find the best plan
of treatment for your COPD. Untreated COPD will most certainly
always worsen.
The good news for those suffering from COPD is that there
are treatments that can help this obstruction in the airways,
making it easier for you to breathe normally again. There are
many medications that can assist and even reverse many of the
symptoms of COPD. The earlier you seek treatment for your
condition, the better your chances of reversing damage.
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