Things You Should Know About Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a lung related disease that narrows or blocks the airways and makes it difficult to breathe.COPD is a combination of two diseases: chronic bronchitis and Emphysema.




Chronic bronchitis- In chronic bronchitis, the tubes that pass air to the lungs get filled with mucus, which narrows or blocks the airways, making it difficult to breathe.

Emphysema- In a healthy person, the tiny air bags in the lungs are like balloons that stretch while breathing in and out. In emphysema, these airbags get damaged and lose their stretch. The flow of air decreases that creates shortness of breath.




What causes COPD?



1. Smoking


2. Tobacco


3. Harmful pollutants


4. Genetic Factors


What are the symptoms?



The main symptoms are:

1. A long-lasting cough.


2. Mucus that comes up when you have cough.


3. Shortness of breath.


4. Increased breathlessness


5. Frequent coughing


6. Wheezing


7. Tightness in the chest


8. Need to clear your throat often



Diagnosis

1. Spirometry


2. Chest X-ray


3. Chest CT scan

Treatment


COPD is not curable yet. But the little changes in lifestyle and treatments can help you feel better.


1. Medicine


2. Vaccination


3. Surgery

How can you escape from COPD?


There are several things you can adopt to avoid trigger that irritates your lungs


1. Quit Smoking


2. Avoid Air Polluted Area


3. Do regular exercise to stay strong.


4. Eat well so you can keep up your strength.