What is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or commonly known as COPD is the name given to a group of diseases including chronic bronchitis and emphysema where the lung becomes damaged making it heard to breathe.  COPD symptoms include breathlessness, a wheezing cough and phlegm.  While people with the diagnosis of COPD may seem to have the same kind of symptoms as people with asthma, the outlook for these two conditions and the kind of the treatment suffers receive are very different.

Asthma affects people of all ages and is often triggered by allergic reactions.  COPD however mainly affects people over 40 and is largely triggered by a single lifestyle choice, smoking.  Sadly, COPD is difficult to treat and remains one of the leading causes of disability, chronic illness and premature death.

Eight of ten people get COPD symptoms because they still are, or have been smokers, and the likelihood of getting COPD increases the more you smoke, and the longer you smoke.

Around one in four heavy smokers go on to develop the signs and symptoms of COPD.

Smoking is the biggest single risk factor for the condition.  The chemicals in cigarette smoke cause inflammation and scarring in the lungs that damage and eventually destroy the elasticity that allows the lungs to expand and contract as you breathe.  Cigarette smoke also causes obstructions in the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs.  Tiny air sacks known as alveoli that are located at the end of the airways allowing oxygen to be absorbed into the bloodstream are also damaged by cigarette smoke.

Now COPD is a progressive illness, so the symptoms are barely noticeable in the early stages and worsen very gradually over 20 or more years  And that's why COPD is rarely diagnosed in people under the age of 40.