| What does COPD mean? COPD stands for
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| | as time passes. Breathlessness is
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| Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
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| | usually intermittent and only occurs with
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| It encompasses two types of disease
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| | exertion in the beginning, however if you
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| processes namely chronic bronchitis and
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| | continue to smoke, the breathlessness
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| emphysema. Quite often, people who
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| | persists even when you are at rest, this
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| suffer from COPD show a combination of
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| | can be quite distressing! Other symptoms
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| features of both disease processes. In
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| | are chronic sputum production, where you
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| lay person's term, COPD means persistent
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| | constantly cough up phlegm all day and
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| lung disease with features of airway
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| | recurrent chest infection. People with
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| narrowing. To be more specific,
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| | COPD are more prone to chest infection
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| bronchitis means inflammation of the
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| | for obvious reasons, as the lining in the
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| bronchi or the larger airways of the
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| | lung looses its normal defense mechanism
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| lungs whereas emphysema means destruction
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| | against intruding bugs.COPD sounds like
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| to the smaller airways and alveoli or
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| | asthma, are they any different? Yes.
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| airsacs of the lungs. Thus COPD is
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| | Both COPD and asthma cause similar
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| commonly used to describe chronic
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| | symptoms, however, they are different in
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| bronchitis, emphysema, or both.Is COPD a
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| | certain ways. COPD causes permanent
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| common condition? It is one of the
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| | damage to the airways. The obstruction
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| commonest conditions that require
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| | is 'fixed', hence it is irreversible in
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| hospital admission during period of
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| | general terms. However, airway narrowing
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| flare-ups. According to one epidemiology
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| | in asthma is intermittent and reverses
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| study in the US, approximately eight
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| | quite easily with medication. Having
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| million people have chronic bronchitis
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| | said that, both COPD and asthma is
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| whereas 2 million people have emphysema.
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| | common, people who suffer COPD can have
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| As we can see, chronic bronchitis is more
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| | an asthmatic component and vice
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| common than emphysema.What are the causes
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| | versa.What tests are needed to diagnose
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| of COPD? Smoking. Smoking is the number
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| | COPD? A test called spirometry is often
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| 1 cause of COPD. More than 90 percent of
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| | performed to diagnose COPD.
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| COPDs are caused by smoking, cigarette or
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| | Bronchodilators (drugs that cause the
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| otherwise. About 30 percent of long term
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| | airway to dilate) are usually added to
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| smokers will eventually show symptoms of
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| | confirm the diagnosis. If the test
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| COPD of varying degrees. Other causes
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| | result does not show improvement with
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| include air pollution and inherited
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| | bronchodilators, then COPD is very
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| enzyme deficiency namely alpha-1
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| | likely.What are the treatments of COPD?
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| antitrypsin deficiency.How does smoking
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| | First of all. Stop smoking. This cannot
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| cause COPD? Smoking inadvertently
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| | be stressed enough. Smoking cessation is
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| damages the lining of the airways. As
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| | the first thing you have to do if you
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| with any other part of the body in
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| | want to get better. As the underlying
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| response to injury, inflammation occurs.
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| | mechanism of COPD is irreversible,
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| Inflammation stimulates the damaged
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| | medications are used with an aim to slow
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| lining to secrete mucus in an abnormal
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| | down it's progress. Drugs that are
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| amount and also causes the airway to
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| | commonly used to treat COPD include
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| constrict (narrow).What are the symptoms
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| | short-acting bronchodilator inhalers
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| of COPD? The two main symptoms are cough
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| | (i.e. salbutamol), long-acting
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| and breathlessness. COPD sufferers
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| | bronchodilator inhalers (i.e.
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| commonly complain about breathlessness
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| | tiotropium), steroid inhalers and tablets
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| and cough that develop gradually over a
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| | are all available drugs for treatment of
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| long period of time. The cough that COPD
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| | COPD. Again, no treatment is more
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| sufferer gets are usually productive
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| | important that stop smoking. Lung
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| which means they commonly cough up
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| | transplant is the last option and should
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| phlegm. The cough usually comes and goes
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| | be reserved for people with severe COPD.
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| initially but tends to become persistent
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