COPD is a chronic respiratory disease characterised by airflow obstruction and is one of the most common conditions worldwide.
However, the diagnosis is not always straightforward.
Let’s talk about COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: we’ll explore what it is and how to identify it.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a long-term condition that affects the airways, often associated with inflammation. Specifically, COPD impacts the lungs and bronchi, leading to a persistent reduction in airflow, which can gradually worsen over time.
COPD includes a group of respiratory diseases, such as chronic bronchitis (which affects the bronchi) and emphysema (which affects lung tissue).
Chronic
This signifies that this condition does not resolve on its own.
Obstructive
This means that the diameter of the airways is reduced, making it more difficult for air to flow to and from the lungs.
Pulmonary
This means that it affects both the bronchi, the structures that allow air to pass from the outside into the lungs and vice versa.
Disease
This term refers to a medical condition that negatively affects the body’s normal functioning.
COPD is a condition often characterised by a chronic inflammation in the bronchi and/or lungs. Because of this inflammatory state, the airways can become narrower as the walls thicken.
In the alveoli permanent damage occurs. This condition is known as emphysema. The alveoli, the tiny air sacs in the lungs, are responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the blood, and they collectively make up the lung tissue.
Due to chronic inflammation, the walls of these air sacs can be destroyed, causing them to merge into larger sacs that work less effectively. This combination of damage to both the bronchi and alveoli makes breathing increasingly difficult, especially when exhaling (getting air out of the lungs).
As the damage spreads, symptoms will become more pronounced, but many people tend to adapt and may underestimate the severity of the issue.
Increasing shortness of breath (dyspnea) during physical activity or movement.
Persistent cough with mucus that seems to never go away, often worse in the morning or recurring throughout the year.
Frequent lung infections, especially during the winter months.
Sometimes, COPD symptoms can suddenly get worse over a short period of time (less than two weeks), and you might need to go to the hospital. This is called an exacerbation or flare-up.
COPD symptoms often appear gradually and develop over time, progressively worsening.
In the early stages, people often don’t realize they are dealing with a chronic disease.
These symptoms can also be mistaken for other respiratory issues, like asthma, which is why getting the correct diagnosis can be challenging. For many people, it takes several years before they are diagnosed with COPD.
In most cases, especially in Europe, COPD is caused by the chemical and physical irritation from cigarette smoke. However, there are other causes as well, such as exposure to environmental factors (like exhaust fumes, cooking smoke, and other pollutants in the air we breathe) and certain genetic factors that can increase the risk.
As we’ve seen, COPD symptoms can often appear subtly at first and may be mistaken for other respiratory conditions.
This can make it harder to get the right diagnosis early, which delays finding the most suitable treatment.
The result? The disease can worsen before you fully understand what’s going on.
Middle-aged smokers and former smokers should see their doctor right away if they notice symptoms like:
A persistent cough with mucus, especially in the morning.
Shortness of breath after minor physical activity.
Frequent bronchitis, particularly in the winter.
One test that can detect COPD is called spirometry. This test measures how much air you can breathe in, breathe out, and hold in your lungs. In people with COPD, some of the spirometry results gradually worsen and don’t fully return to normal.
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