Definition
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a progressive lung disease in which the airways of the lungs become damaged, making it hard to breathe.
In people who have COPD, the airways that carry air in and out of the lungs are partially blocked, making it difficult to get air in and out. COPD is a major cause of death and illness throughout the world. It kills more than 120,000 Americans each year. That’s one death every 4 minutes.
The American Thoracic Society says, data from 1980 to 2000 show that rates of death due to COPD rose faster by 87% in black individuals than 67% in NHW individuals, with higher rates of hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits for COPD but lower rates of physician office visits.
In the following years from 2000 through 2014, the age-adjusted rates of death due to COPD declined by 21.1% in NHW males and by 24.4% in black males but increased for black females by 4.2% with no change in rates for NHW females.
Causes
Smoking
Most cases of COPD develop over time, from breathing in fumes and other things that irritate the lungs. Some of the things that put you at risk for COPD include smoking, environmental exposure, and genetic factors.
Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of COPD in the United States (either current or former smokers). Pipe, cigar, and other types of tobacco smoking can also cause COPD, especially if the smoke is inhaled.
Other Causes
COPD can also occur in people who have had long-term exposure to things that can irritate your lungs, like certain chemicals, dust, or fumes in the workplace. Heavy or long-term exposure to secondhand smoke or other air pollutants may also contribute to COPD even if they have never smoked or had long-term exposure to harmful pollutants.
In some people, COPD is caused by a genetic condition known as alpha-1 antitrypsin, or AAT, deficiency. While very few people know if they have AAT deficiency, it is estimated that close to 100,000 Americans have it. People with AAT deficiency can get COPD even if they have never smoked or had long-term exposure to harmful pollutants.
Symptoms
The symptoms of COPD include: constant cough; excess sputum (mucus) production; shortness of breath while doing activities you used to be able to do; wheezing, or whistling sound when you breathe; and tightness in the chest.
The most common symptoms of COPD are a cough that does not go away and coughing up lots of sputum. These symptoms often start years before the flow of air in and out of the lungs is reduced. Not everyone who has a cough and sputum goes on to develop COPD.
Exams and Tests
If your doctor thinks you may have COPD, he or she will examine you, listen to your lungs, and ask you questions about your medical history, and what lung irritants you may have been around for long periods of time.
To confirm a diagnosis of COPD, your doctor will use a breathing test called spirometry. The test is easy and painless and shows how well your lungs work.
In a spirometry test, you breathe hard into a large hose connected to a machine called a spirometer. When you breathe out, the spirometer measures how much air your lungs can hold and how fast you can blow air out of your lungs.
Based on this test, your doctor can determine if you have COPD and how severe it is. There are four levels of severity for COPD:
• people at risk for COPD
• people with mild COPD
• people with moderate COPD
• people with severe COPD
Those at risk for developing COPD have a normal breathing test and mild symptoms such as chronic cough and sputum production.
Those with mild COPD have mild breathing limitation. Symptoms may include a chronic cough and sputum production. At this stage, you may not be aware that airflow in your lungs is reduced.
With moderate COPD, your breathing test shows worsening airflow blockages. Symptoms may be worse than with mild COPD and you may