Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung condition that involves emphysema, damage to the air sacs, chronic bronchitis and long-term inflammation of airways. COPD is a significant health burden that causes breathing problems for patients, of which there are currently more than 300 million worldwide. It is the third leading cause of death in the world, mostly affecting elderly patients and causing a high rate of hospitilzation for those over 65. COPD is mainly caused by smoking, however, some people that have never smoked can be affected as well. Treatments mainly focus on the prevention of exacerbation.
The most common symptoms of COPD include
- Breathlessness,
- Frequent chest infections, and
- Persistent chesty cough with phlegm.
Although treatments used for COPD cannot repair the lungs, they can slow down its progression. Some forms of treatment are:
- Quitting smoking
- Inhalers and medications
- Pulmonary rehabilitation
- Surgery
Statistics describing COPD patients
- 51% are limited in their ability to function at work,
- 70% have limited physical activity,
- 56% believe household chores are a burden,
- 50% have trouble sleeping.
As the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, take a look at the British Lung Foundation’s article, “What should I do if I have COPD?”, for better management of COPD.
Inform yourself: Here are some recent publications about COPD
- Antiplatelet Therapy in COPD May Reduce All-Cause Mortality, Improve Quality of Life
- A Genome-Wide Association Study in Early COPD: Identification of One Major Susceptibility Loci
- Difference in Local Lung Movement During Tidal Breathing Between COPD Patients and Asthma Patients Assessed by Four-dimensional Dynamic-ventilation CT Scan
- The Value of Inflammatory Biomarkers in Differentiating Asthma–COPD Overlap from COPD
- Multiple Gene Expression Dataset Analysis Reveals Toll-Like Receptor Signaling Pathway is Strongly Associated With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Pathogenesis
- Disproportionally Impaired Diffusion Capacity Relative to Airflow Limitation in COPD
- COPD at the Time of COVID-19: A COPD Foundation Perspective
- Spirometry Use in Clinical Practice Following Diagnosis of COPD
- Early Detection of COPD in a High-Risk Population Using Spirometric Screening
To learn more about COPD management
- Here are some movies, podcasts and books about COPD.
- Click to learn daily exercises that can be done with COPD.
Sources
- Jan Zieliñski, Michał Bednarek, Early Detection of COPD in a High-Risk Population Using Spirometric Screening, Chest, Volume 119, Issue 3, 2001, Pages 731-736, ISSN 0012-3692, https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.119.3.731.
- Todd A. Lee, Brian Bartle, Kevin B. Weiss, Spirometry Use in Clinical Practice Following Diagnosis of COPD, Chest, Volume 129, Issue 6, 2006, Pages 1509-1515, ISSN 0012-3692, https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.129.6.1509.
- Tal-Singer, Ruth, and James D Crapo. “COPD at the Time of COVID-19: A COPD Foundation Perspective.” Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (Miami, Fla.) vol. 7,2 (2020): 73-75. doi:10.15326/jcopdf.7.2.2020.0149
- NHS Choices, NHS, www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-copd/.
- “What Is the Worldwide Prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)?” Latest Medical News, Clinical Trials, Guidelines - Today on Medscape, 11 Sept. 2020, www.medscape.com/answers/297664-7353/what-is-the-worldwide-prevalence-of-chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-copd.
- “What Should I Do If I Have COPD?” British Lung Foundation, 2 Nov. 2020, www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/coronavirus/what-should-people-with-a-lung-condition-do-now/copd.
- Li M, Yang T, He R, Li A, Dang W, Liu X, Chen M. The Value of Inflammatory Biomarkers in Differentiating Asthma–COPD Overlap from COPD. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2020;15:3025-3037 https://doi.org/10.2147/COPD.S273422.
- Mochizuki E, Kawai Y, Morikawa K, Ito Y, Kagoo N, Kubota T, Ichijyo K, Uehara M, Harada M, Matsuura S, Tsukui M, Koshimizu N. Difference in Local Lung Movement During Tidal Breathing Between COPD Patients and Asthma Patients Assessed by Four-dimensional Dynamic-ventilation CT Scan. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2020;15:3013-3023 https://doi.org/10.2147/COPD.S273425.
- Lee, Ye-Jin, et al. “A Genome-Wide Association Study in Early COPD: Identification of One M: COPD.” International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Dove Press, 17 Nov. 2020, www.dovepress.com/a-genome-wide-association-study-in-early-copd-identification-of-one-ma-peer-reviewed-article-COPD.
