Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung disease in which the lungs are damaged, making it hard to breathe. With COPD it is difficult to get air in and out because the tubes that carry air in out of the lungs are partly obstructed.Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of COPD. Breathing in other kinds of irritants, such as pollution, dust or chemicals, may also cause or contribute to COPD.
Instructions
1. Quit smoking. Patients who continue to smoke have a more rapid deterioration in lung function than those who quit. Not smoking will also slow the progress of the disease. Once a person has quit smoking, the person should avoid being around smokers and polluted air. Smoking and polluted air can irritate the lungs.
2. Take medicine. A doctor may prescribe bronchodilator drugs. Bronchodilators relax the muscles that surround the breathing tubes and widen them, letting air travel in and out more easily. A doctor may also prescribe drugs called corticosteroids, which reduce the swelling in the breathing tubes. A doctor could also prescribe medicine to be delivered through a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) or a dry powder inhaler (DPI), in which medication is delivered to the lungs as a spray, mist, or fine powder.
3. Exercise regularly. People might believe that exercise will only cause a shortness of breath. This is untrue. Exercising will improve a person's breathing ability. It will strengthen chest muscles and decrease shortness of breath.
4. Get vaccinated. Having the flu can be harmful to the lungs and cause serious problems in people with COPD. A flu shot should be taken every year. It will reduce the chances of getting the flu. A person should also get a pneumococcal vaccine. The vaccine will prevent the person from getting pneumonia and COPD complications.
5. Have surgery. For people with severe COPD, surgery may be necessary. Surgery is for people who have not had improvements from taking medicine and most of the time have a very hard time breathing. There are two types of surgery. One is bullectomy. In this procedure, doctors remove one or more very large air sacs from the lungs. The air spaces can become so large that they interfere with breathing. The other surgery is lung volume reduction surgery. In this procedure, surgeons remove sections of damaged tissue from the lungs.
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