… smokers with COPD to stop smoking. The single most important thing that a person can do to decrease one’s risk for developing COPD in the first place is to never, ever smoke.
If you are a current or past smoker, or if you have lived for years in a home with other smokers, be aware that you are at high risk for developing COPD.
How Can You Tell If You Might Have COPD?
If you experience protracted intermittent breathlessness (especially on physical exertion such as walking or running),coughing, excess mucus expectoration (phlegm production), or wheezing it is essential that you immediately inform your health care provider that you have these symptoms that commonly occur in individuals who have COPD. Lung function tests can be performed to cinch or rule out the diagnosis of COPD. If COPD is diagnosed, effective medications can be started.
Although there is no cure for COPD, early intervention with the correct medications can decrease symptoms and the development of serious complications associated with this disease.