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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

 

What is COPD?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is not a single disease, but a general term used to refer to a group of chronic lung diseases that block air flow in lungs, such as chronic bronchitis.

 

What are the symptoms of COPD?

  • Shortness of breath, especially on exertion.
  • Wheezing sound with breath.
  • Cyanosis of lips and nails.
  • Chronic cough accompanied by sputum production. 
  • Recurrent lower respiratory tract infections.
  • Weight loss. 

 

Factors that may lead to COPD:

  • Smoking is the leading cause of COPD.
  • Tobacco exposure (including second-hand smoke).
  • Exposure to indoor air pollution from the use of solid fuels for cooking or heating.
  • Exposure to dust and chemicals in workplaces (exposure to vapors, fumes and irritants)
  • Recurrent infections of the lower respiratory tract during childhood.
  • Age: The risk of developing COPD increases in people older than 35-40 years of age.
  • Genetics: has some effect in rare cases.

 

How is COPD diagnosed?

  • Spirometry: It is a simple test that measures the depth of a person's breathing and how quickly air enters and exits the lungs. Test is often performed on people aged 40 or older, due to the slow progression of the disease.
  • Chest X-rays.
  • CT scans.
  • Blood oxygen saturation.

 

What are the complications of COPD?

  • Respiratory Tract Infections: People with COPD are more likely to have frequent colds, flus and pneumonias. In addition, any respiratory infection can make breathing more difficult and damage lung tissue.
  • Hypertension: It may cause high blood pressure in the arteries that bring blood to the lungs (pulmonary hypertension).
  • Heart Diseases: For reasons not yet understood, the risk of heart disease, including heart attacks, increases.
  • Lung Cancer: Smokers with chronic bronchitis are at higher risk of developing lung cancer than smokers without it.
  • Depression: Some patients may become depressed as a result of difficulty breathing and inability to perform normal life activities. 

 

Is there a cure for COPD?

There is no effective cure for COPD. The treatment plan relies on quitting smoking to alleviate the symptoms and avoid complications, in addition to following a healthy lifestyle (healthy nutrition in addition to physical activity) and using some drugs under medical supervision. Such drugs include: 

  • Bronchodilators that help relax the airway muscles and relieve cough and shortness of breath. 
  • Inhaled corticosteroids to reduce bronchitis and help prevent the progression and worsening of the disease.
  • Oral steroids that help reduce bronchitis and prevent the progression and worsening of the disease.
  • Phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors, which are newly approved drugs to reduce bronchitis in people with severe COPD.
  • Theophylline helps in improving breathing and preventing the worsening of the disease.
  • Antibiotics to treat respiratory infections, such as acute bronchitis, pneumonia and influenza, and prevent the progression of symptoms.

 

Pulmonary Therapy:

  • Oxygen therapy: in case of hypoxia and shortness of breath to help improve the health of patients with COPD.
  • Pulmonary rehabilitation program: is a set of educational, physical and nutritional activities under the supervision of a group of specialists used for inpatients to improve their quality of life.
  • Surgery for some rare cases to remove affected parts of the lung.
  • Lung transplant for advanced cases.

 

Prevention for people at higher risk of COPD?

  • Avoid exposure to indoor and outdoor polluted air and irritants.
  • Avoid exposure to weather fluctuations and dust.
  • Eat healthy food such as fruits, vegetables and meat (such as fish and poultry).
  • Perform lung tests (spirometry) to assess lung function in people who are 45 years old and older.
  • Take seasonal influenza vaccine to prevent recurrent respiratory infections.
  • Take the necessary precautions and comply with safety instructions in factories and workplaces.