November marks Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Awareness Month, which is a chronic lung disease that makes it very difficult for people to breathe.
As a result of COPD, the air becomes progressively trapped inside the lungs due to excess mucus, scarring and narrowing of the air passages and destruction of the air sacs (emphysema). This means that air cannot get out of the lungs easily.
For people with the condition, breathing problems tend to get gradually worse over time and can limit their normal activities, although treatment can help keep the condition under control, according to the NHS.
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COPD includes long-term (chronic) bronchitis and emphysema. Both of these conditions make it harder to move air in and out as a person breathes, and the lungs are less able to take in oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide. They can occur both separately and together.
What causes COPD?
COPD typically occurs when the lungs have become damaged over a long period of time; the main cause of this results from smoking, and the likelihood of developing the condition increases the more and the longer you've smoked. However, it can also be caused by a large amount of exposure to air pollution in jobs where people are exposed to dust, fumes and chemicals.
People who are more likely to develop COPD are:
- Those over 35
- Who are or have been smokers
- That have had chest problems as a child
- Who have a rare genetic condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
What are the symptoms?
These symptoms may be present at all times, or they may appear or get worse when you have an infection, or when you breathe in smoke or fumes.
Increasing breathlessness, particularly when active
Frequent chest infections
Wheezing
A persisted chesty cough with more phlegm (mucus) than usual
Tiredness
Having a cough that lasts a long time
What treatments are there for COPD?
Although the damage to the lungs caused by COPD is permanent, treatment is available to slow down the progression of the condition.
Quit smoking immediately
Inhalers and medicines to help make breathing easier
Pulmonary rehabilitation – a specialised programme of exercise and education
Surgery or a lung transplant, but this is only an option for a reduced amount of people
Get vaccinated against pneumonia, influenza and coronavirus
People who suffer from COPD might experience flare-ups of the condition where symptoms may become worse over a period of time, however, this will vary from person to person.
Treatment can help keep the condition under control for some, but for some people, COPD may continue to get worse and eventually have a significant impact on their quality of life.
In the UK there are 1.3 million people with a diagnosis of COPD. And each year, around 30,000 people die in the UK from COPD, according to Asthma + Lung UK.
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