Physiology & Treatment of COPD

Smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of COPD.

The Mayo Clinic defines chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as several lung diseases that damage your airways, making it hard to breathe. Diseases like emphysema and bronchitis, including asthmatic bronchitis, are categorized as COPD. One of the primary causes of COPD is cigarette smoking.

Causes

COPD happens when something is obstructing the lungs, interfering with the natural exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen, the Mayo Clinic explains. In emphysema, tiny air sacs in your lungs are inflamed, and small airways can collapse as a result. In chronic bronchitis, the bronchial tubes narrow because of inflammation. The vast majority of COPD cases are caused by years of cigarette smoking.

A rare genetic disease also causes COPD by lowering levels of alpha-1-antitrypsin, a naturally occurring protein, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Symptoms

Signs of emphysema, according to the Mayo Clinic, include tightness in the chest, trouble breathing and shortness of breath. Chronic bronchitis, induced by smoking, has symptoms that include frequent respiratory infections, a cough with sputum, coughing up phlegm in the morning and difficulty catching your breath. Asthma involves inflammation and the swelling of your breathing passages, which is indicated by wheezing.

Tests

Tests for COPD vary according to symptoms and underlying diseases. Doctors may sign you up for a pulmonary functions tests, arterial blood gas test, CT scan or chest X-ray to determine a diagnosis.

Risk Factors

Risk factors for COPD, according to the Mayo Clinic, include cigarette smoking and secondhand exposure to nicotine, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), exposure to toxic chemicals and genetic disorders. COPD occurs most often in people who are 40 or older.

Complications

COPD can lead to or exacerbate other disorders, including lung cancer, high blood pressure, depression, heart and respiratory disorders.

Treatments

Doctors who diagnose you with COPD will tell you to quit smoking immediately. Medications for COPD include bronchodilators, which relax the muscles around your airways; steroids, which reduce inflammation and swelling; or antibiotics to fight infections, according to the Mayo Clinic. Some chronic COPD sufferers need regular oxygen supplementation. Severe emphysema sufferers may need a lung transplant or reduction.

References

• Mayo Clinic: COPD
• National Institutes of Health: Medline, COPD