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What Is COPD And What Does It Do?
COPD, known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a lung condition that affects millions of people around the world. Medically, it is defined as having both emphysema and chronic bronchitis. More specifically, it is the combination of having sputum production for at least three months of a year in two consecutive years, as well as difficulty breathing and exhaling. The diagnosis is typically clinical, but tests such as pulmonary function assessments and chest x-rays can help shape the ultimate determination.
What is COPD? It is a crippling ailment that takes years to progress, but once it occurs, it is irreversible. Symptoms include difficulty breathing with exertion and walking, and a constant feeling of being short of breath. Though sufferers are seen gasping for air, the problem is not air intake, but getting air out of the lungs. The damage that occurs in the lungs causes the cells in the lung to improperly function, keeping "dead air" trapped in the lungs and thus not having air recycled throughout the air spaces. The progression of the disease leads to its afflicted persons to even be short of breath while resting. Daily tasks such as walking upstairs or getting the daily mail can become difficult due to shortness of breath and pain.
What is COPD caused by? The answer is usually simple: a history of smoking. Inhaling the fumes from tobacco and the other additives common in cigarettes causes permanent damage to the lungs via chemical and heat toxicity to the lung cells. Normally, lung cells have strong means to heal and repopulate themselves. However, with enough stressors, the lung cells will cease to repair themselves, which eventually causes the chronic obstruction characteristic of this disease.
Symptoms may not manifest for years, but the damage is gradual, and once it begins, it is permanent. Once a symptom appears, it is virtually impossible to reverse it. Breaking away from cigarettes is a good first step, but it will primarily serve to stop the current situation from growing any worse. It is unlikely that a patient's situation will become any better; instead, the focus shifts to management of current ailments while preventing any further developments.
The disease is typically treated with oxygen, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and the cessation of smoking. If treated early enough, the symptoms can be managed and a decent prognosis can be expected. However, medications only manage the symptoms; they do not help with the actual improvement of the disease. Only oxygen therapy and complete smoking cessation have been shown to actually help reverse the damage in any way.
Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information about what is COPD, please visit http://www.lifescript.com/health/centers.aspx.
Article submitted Friday, February 10, 2012 & read 1 times.
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