What is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a combination of diseases that make breathing difficult. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the two main diseases that together make up COPD. COPD inhibits your ability to exhale stale, oxygen-poor air from your lungs. When you are unable to exhale all of the stale air in your lungs, there isn’t enough room for oxygen-rich air to enter the next time you breathe in.
Risk factors that you can control:
- Smoking
- Secondhand smoke
- Environmental pollutants
Risk factors that you cannot control:
- History of frequent upper respiratory infections
- Pneumonia during childhood
- Heredity
Some treatment options include:
- Medications
- Oxygen therapy
- Vaccinations
- Surgery
Other resources:
Vermont Lung Association;
http://www.lungusa.org/lung-disease/copd/
National resources:
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute;
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ Copd/Copd_WhatIs.html
COPD Foundation;
Alpha-1 Foundation;
http://www.alpha-1foundation.org