Having COPD causes you to have unique struggles that have major implications on your health.
COPD – or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – refers to a group of disease that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. Millions of people have COPD and don’t know it. This disease causes significant breathing problems.
The main cause of COPD is smoking, but other causes can be exposure to gases, fumes, secondhand smoke, pollution or smoke from cooking.
There are two main forms of COPD. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Symptoms of these diseases include:
- Cough
- Fatigue
- Frequent respiratory infections
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
NMC Health has specialized services to help people with COPD. Our Pulmonary Rehabilitation treatments have shown great success with patients suffering from the effects of COPD.
Three Questions With a Respiratory Therapist
November is COPD Awareness Month. With 16 million people dealing with the side effects of COPD, we decided to speak to one of our experts about COPD. Katie W. works in NMC Health’s Pulmonary Function Lab as a respiratory therapist and helped answer these three questions about COPD.
What is COPD and is it treatable?
ANSWER: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. It includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD makes breathing difficult for the 16 million Americans who have this disease. Millions more people suffer from COPD, but have not been diagnosed and are not being treated. Although there is no cure for COPD, it can be treated.
NMC Health
Three Questions With a Respiratory Therapist
NMC Health
November is COPD Awareness Month. With 16 million people dealing with the side effects of COPD, we decided to speak to one of our experts about COPD. Katie W. works in NMC Health’s Pulmonary Function Lab as a respiratory therapist and helped answer these three questions about COPD.
What is COPD and is it treatable?
ANSWER: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. It includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD makes breathing difficult for the 16 million Americans who have this disease. Millions more people suffer from COPD, but have not been diagnosed and are not being treated. Although there is no cure for COPD, it can be treated.
How is COPD diagnosed?
ANSWER: A simple test, called spirometry, can be used to measure pulmonary—or lung—function and detect COPD in anyone with breathing problems. This test is ordered by your doctor. Additional test may be ordered as well.
I have COPD, what happens if I get sick with COVID?
ANSWER: Contact your physician immediately.
VIDEO: What to know about COPD
What can be done to treat COPD?
There currently is not a cure for COPD but there are treatments that help relieve the symptoms the disease causes.
With the primary cause of COPD being smoking, the first thing to do is stop smoke. Additionally, finding ways to reduce air pollution in your home has been shown to help.
There are several types of medications used to help treat COPD. If you need help opening up your airways, there are oxygen therapy, bronchodilators, steroids and other medicines to help. To better control infections, you may be prescribed long-term antibiotics and anti-inflammatory.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation programs, like the ones at NMC Health, also help.
At NMC Health, you will learn how train your breathing to better manage your COPD. We will also work with you to provide education about ways to reduce flair-ups.
When to go to the ER for COPD?
If you experience a rapid increase in shortness of breath, call 911. This is a very concerning sign of a COPD flair up.
