What is COPD? Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a lung disease that gets worse over time and makes it hard to breathe. There are two main conditions that cause COPD:
Emphysema -
causes irritation to the alveoli orair sacs in the lungs.
Overtime, the air sacs are damaged and this reduces
air exchange in the lungs. 
As a result, it becomes harder to move oxygen
into or carbon dioxide out of the blood.
Chronic bronchitis-
involves irritation and mucus build up in the
large and small airways in the lungs. The lining of the
airways gets thick and it makes it harder to breathe.
COPD Symptoms
• Coughing, with or without mucus
• Wheezing
• Shortness of breath that gets worse with activity
• Chest tightness
Read More About COPD: COPD FAQ’s, COPD Symptoms, COPD
COPD Causes
• Smoking or second hand smoke
• Working in a polluted environment where you breathe in large amounts of dust, fumes, smoke or gases
Read More About COPD Causes: COPD FAQ’s, COPD Causes, COPD
COPD Treatment
There is currently no cure treatment for COPD at this time; however there are ways to slow the progress of the disease.
COPD Treatment:
• Stay active
• Avoid being around smoke or smoking
• Manage your weight
• Drink a lot of fluids each day
• Take your medicines if prescribed
• Control stress
• Get a flu shot each year
• Use home oxygen therapy if ordered
Would you like to participate in a COPD clinical research study?
Read More About COPD Treatment: COPD FAQ’s, COPD Treatment, COPD
For more information regarding COPD, visit our COPD FAQ page or check out our COPD Resources page.
Related COPD pages:
Columbus Clinical COPD Research Study in Ohio
• COPD Resources
• COPD Symptoms
• COPD Causes
• COPD Treatment
• COPD Study Form
• COPD FAQ