Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a common and manageable disease that makes it harder to breathe and damages lung tissue over time. It is linked to changes in the structure of the lungs caused by long-term inflammation from breathing in harmful particles, most often cigarette smoke. Airways get narrowed because of chronic inflammation. People with this disease often cough, have shortness of breath and make saliva. Symptoms can range from not having any at all to being unable to breathe.
What is COPD?
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is also known as emphysema or chronic bronchitis. Emphysema is commonly defined as the destruction of the tiny air sacs at the ends of the lungs’ airways. Chronic bronchitis is characterized by a persistent cough and phlegm production due to airway inflammation. COPD and asthma have similar symptoms (coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing); people can have both illnesses.
The lungs might become damaged or clogged with mucus in COPD respiratory disease patients. Symptoms include a cough, occasionally with phlegm, trouble breathing, wheezing, and fatigue. Smoking and air pollution are the main causes of COPD. People with COPD are more likely to develop other health concerns. Although COPD can’t be cured, people can make their symptoms better by not smoking, staying away from air pollution, and getting vaccinated to avoid getting sick. Medicines, oxygen, and pulmonary rehabilitation can also help to treat it.
What are the Signs and symptoms of COPD?
People with COPD respiratory diseases often have trouble breathing, a persistent cough (sometimes with phlegm), and fatigue.
The signs of COPD can get worse very quickly. We call these “flare-ups.” These normally last a few days and need extra medicine most of the time.
People who have COPD are also more likely to have other health issues. Symptoms of COPD usually start to show up around middle age. As COPD respiratory disease gets worse, it gets harder for people to perform their daily routine activities because they can’t get enough air.
People who have COPD may have a number of the following physical signs:
- A lot of trouble breathing during intense flare-ups
- Loss of muscle
- Use of extra breathing muscles
- Long-term expiration
- Puffing up
- Breathing with pursed lips
- More space between the front and back of the chest wall (barrel chest)
- Central cyanosis when oxygen levels in the blood are low
- Lower limb edema in people with right heart failure
What are the causes of COPD?
COPD usually happens over time and is caused by several different things: smoking or being around people who smoke; being exposed to dust, fumes, or chemicals at work; breathing in dirty air inside (biomass fuels like wood, animal dung, and crop residue are often used for cooking and heating in low- and middle-income countries with a lot of smoke); and bad things that happen early in life, like not growing properly in the womb or being born before their due date.
In what ways can COPD respiratory disease be treated?
While COPD can’t be cured, it can get better if you don’t smoke, breathe clean air, and get your shots. Medicines, oxygen, and pulmonary therapy can help to treat it.
There are several ways to treat COPD.
- Most of the medicines used to treat COPD are bronchodilator inhalers. They make the lungs lose, so they stay open.
- Short-acting bronchodilators work right away and can last for 4 to 6 hours. During flare-ups, these are often used.
- Bronchodilators that work for a longer time take longer to start working but last longer. These are taken every day, and they can be mixed with steroids that are breathed in.
- Pulmonary therapy teaches exercises to help you breathe better and work out more.
What changes may one introduce in his life to reduce COPD symptoms?
- Don’t smoke. Giving up smoking can help even if you’ve done it for a long time.
- Stay away from smoke from other people or cooking fires inside.
- Keep your body moving.
- Stay healthy and avoid getting lung infections:
- Every year, get a flu shot.
- Get a shot against pneumonia.
- Get all the COVID-19 shots offered and ensure you’ve had your most recent boosters.
- To help them stay as healthy and busy as possible, people with COPD need to know about their condition, how to treat it, and how to take care of themselves.
What are the COPD stages?
Based on spirometry tests, there are four GOLD grades:
- Grade 1: not bad
- Grade 2: fair
- Grade 3: very bad
- Grade 4: bad
A spirometry breathing test will tell your doctor what stage you are in. It checks lung function by recording how much air you can breathe in and out and how quickly and easily you can breathe out. They will also look at how bad your symptoms are and how often they happen.
As COPD gets worse over time, it is a progressive lung disease. People who have COPD are also more likely to develop issues like heart problems, pulmonary hypertension, and lung cancer.
Grade 1
Shortness of breath and a cough that won’t go away, which may include phlegm, are the main signs of stage 1 COPD. But these signs are so mild that you might not even know you have them.
Grade 2
You may feel shortness of breath while doing activities, cough, and make more mucus. Some other signs are breathing, being tired, and having trouble sleeping. Practices like pursed lip breathing and coordinated breathing can help you stay active. Along with your medications, pulmonary rehabilitation is another usual part of treatment. The Lung performance worsens in grade 2. It gets harder to take in oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide when you breathe out as the walls of the air sacs in your lungs keep getting weaker.
You might also have the following symptoms:
- tiredness or weakness
- Feelings of being lost or confused
- Ankle, foot, and leg swelling
- A tight feeling in the chest
- More often, getting chest infections.
- When these flare-ups happen, you may feel more mucus in your bronchial tubes and quick tightening of the muscles around your airways.
Grade 3
The symptoms get worse and last longer. Everyday tasks make breathing hard because they make you short of breath.
Grade 4
The lungs don’t work well when COPD is in stage 4.
People with stage 4 COPD often end up in the hospital for breathing problems, lung infections, or respiratory failure, and rapid flare-ups can be life-threatening.
These are some other signs of stage 4 COPD:
- Barrel chest
- Mood swings
- fast or uneven heartbeat
- weight loss
- pulmonary hypertension, which affects the lungs and the right side of the heart
For severe COPD symptoms, there are several treatments available, such as extra oxygen, pulmonary rehabilitation, and steroids that can be taken by mouth, intravenously, or inhaled. Steroids can cause side effects like mouth and throat swelling, muscle weakness, weight loss, tiredness, and a higher risk of getting pneumonia.
For oxygen treatment, there are several tools available. A nasal cannula is the most popular. It has two small tubes that fit into your nose and an oxygen tank connected to it. It takes some time to get used to extra air, but you’ll feel better and better over time.
What is the COPD exacerbation?
when your COPD symptoms get worse or “flare up.” Most of the time, a flare is caused by a lung infection. But sometimes, no one knows what caused it. People can get very sick during and after a flare because of the irritation and swelling in their lungs. It can last for a month or longer.
How does it feel to have a COPD exacerbation?
When your COPD respiratory symptoms get worse for a short time, this is called a flare. Your chest may feel tight, and breathing will be hard. You might also notice that your breathing is quick and short. It may make you feel nervous or exhausted for a long time.
It is essential to get medical help if you have trouble walking, are confused, or have sweaty skin.
How can one prevent himself from having COPD exacerbation?
You can’t always stop exacerbations, but there are things you can do to reduce how often they happen or how bad they get.
- Stop smoking if you do it.
- Stay away from people having colds or flu. Wash your hands well to keep from getting sick.
- Get a flu shot every year. It has been shown that getting a flu shot can help stop flare-ups.
- Taking certain medicines has also lowered your risk of an attack. These may already be helping your COPD.
- Talk to your doctor about how you care for your COPD and how to keep it from worsening.
How do you treat COPD exacerbation?
- Inhalers, steroids, and medicines can be used at home to treat some flare-ups. You will need to go to the hospital, though, if your symptoms get worse. Medications that reduce the swelling and tightness in your lungs are the primary sources to treat an exacerbation.
- Steroids, pills, or IV (intravenous) steroids are used to treat the swollen airways.
- When your airways narrow, you can use an inhaler or nebulizer to treat it with bronchodilators.
- Most of the time, you will also be given a drug to fight off a bacterial infection.
- You might need help from a PAP (positive airway pressure) machine with a face or nose mask to breathe better.
- If your flare-up is terrible, you may need to be treated in an intensive care unit (ICU) and have a motorized ventilator (a machine that breathes for you).
According to WHO, COPD, or chronic obstructive lung disease, is the third most common cause of death in the world.
- More than 70% of COPD cases in high-income countries are caused by smoking. The lungs of people with COPD can get hurt or filled with phlegm. Coughing, sometimes with phlegm, wheezing, trouble breathing, and tiredness are all signs. The main things that cause COPD are smoking and dirty air. People who have COPD are more likely to have other health issues.
- Although COPD can’t be cured, people can make their symptoms better by not smoking, staying away from air pollution, and getting vaccinated to avoid getting sick. Medicines, oxygen, and pulmonary therapy can also help treat it