Know About COPD
Posted by Admin | Posted in COPD | Posted on 14-11-2009
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COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It is a breathing disorder which obstructs the flow of air through the airways and the lungs. What is COPD is something that not many are aware of but recent estimates suggest that over twelve million people worldwide suffer from this disease and there are over twelve million who suffer from the disease but are still not aware of what is COPD. It is a chronic lung disease that makes it hard to breathe and there is no specific cure for COPD as a disease.
The awareness of what is COPD’s other names would help to understand the disease better and also help in its diagnosis. COPD is composed of two major diseases namely chronic bronchitis and emphysema which are also its other names. Bronchitis as well as emphysema cause breathing difficulties and the condition is progressive over time. When a person is affected by chronic bronchitis or emphysema, the bronchi and alveoli of the lungs lose their elastic quality and their wall get inflamed and also produce more mucus than usual which causes the blocking of the airways which in turn makes it hard to breathe.
Symptoms of COPD
Understanding what is COPD also requires as good understanding of what are the symptoms of COPD. Chronic coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath are the most common symptoms of COPD. The increased production of sputum, dyspnea (breathing difficulty), fever and chest infections are some of the other common symptoms of COPD and its associated conditions namely bronchitis and emphysema.
These symptoms are found mostly in the early stages of COPD and since it is a progressive disorder, the symptoms of COPD are more vivid as it worsens. Some of the common symptoms of COPD in its advanced stages are cyanosis which is the blush coloration of the lips and nails because of the lack of oxygen in the blood, morning headaches as the blood id unable to remove the carbon dioxide from the body and weight loss and in extreme cases, the symptoms of COPD are heart failure, bleeding from the lungs while coughing and also swelling of the feet and hands. A clear idea of the symptoms of COPD will provide a better idea of what is COPD and what are its effects.
Causes of COPD
As much as it is important to know what is COPD and what are the symptoms of COPD, it is also important to know what causes COPD. Since prevention is better than cure, it is better to understand the causes and protect ourselves rather than analyzing the symptoms of COPD and taking measures to mitigate its effect.
The biggest cause of COPD is smoking which accounts for more than 90% of the total number of patients suffering from COPD. Moreover, smokers are known to develop more intense symptoms of COPD which causes a lot of damage to lungs and the bronchi. The other common causes are the exposure to passive smoking and air pollution. When air pollutants such as silica and cadmium enter the lungs they clog the airways and cause breathing difficulties. This is common among coal miners, construction workers, metal workers and cotton workers. Hence it is important for people in these occupations to take proper protective measures and also take utmost care when even minute symptoms of COPD are identified.
Today, COPD is one of the biggest causes of death in the United States and the situation is only getting worse with time. A proper understanding of what is COPD and the symptoms of COPD would help to prevent this progressive breathing disorder from causing more damage.
My hubsand had 14 percent of his lungs left. Has he got much longer to live? He has COPR and Emphydema.