Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common lung disease. Long-term cigarette smoking causes nearly all cases of COPD. It takes many years for COPD to develop before people need medical help. Most people begin to feel the disease symptoms between 50 and 70 years of age. COPD is a disease involving the lung’s airways, air sacs, or both. Persons with COPD have chronic bronchitis, emphysema or both. Doctors use the term COPD to describe two different diseases emphysema and chronic bronchitis since many people with COPD have a combination of these two diseases. People with COPD may also have asthma-like symptoms or reactive airway disease. People with COPD may have worsening attacks from time to time, called acute exacerbations.
COPD symptoms include:
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Coughing
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Wheezing
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Shortness of breath (feeling of needing to "catch your breath")
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Production of phlegm or sputum
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Chest tightness
Clemenceau Medical Center offers a spectrum of latest and state of the art diagnostic tools and tests for the assessment of COPD, including: Chest CTScan and x-ray, complete lung function testing, methacholine challenge tests, arterial blood gas testing, and pulse oximetry testing.
Following thorough diagnostic evaluation, COPD is classified in different stages (mild, moderate and severe). Treatment begins with patient education, risk-factor modification (smoking cessation), and lifestyle changes (regular exercise and avoidance of other irritants). Quitting smoking can help prevent COPD from developing, improve COPD symptoms and slow disease progression.
In addition to making lifestyle changes and exercise your doctor will prescribe the most suitable medication to control your disease and its symptoms. (For more information please refer to the corresponding patient information).