 |
 |
| Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease |
| |
|
 |
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
makes it hard for you to breathe. Coughing up mucus is
often the first sign of COPD. Chronic bronchitis and
emphysema are common COPDs.
Your airways branch out inside your
lungs like an upside-down tree. At the end of each
branch are small, balloon-like air sacs. In healthy
people, both the airways and air sacs are springy and
elastic. When you breathe in, each air sac fills with
air like a small balloon. The balloon deflates when you
exhale. In COPD, your airways and air sacs lose their
shape and become floppy, like a stretched-out rubber
band. |
|
Cigarette smoking is the most common
cause of COPD. Breathing in other kinds of irritants,
like pollution, dust or chemicals, may also cause or
contribute to COPD. Quitting smoking is the best way to
avoid developing COPD.
Treatment can make you more
comfortable, but there is no cure. |
|
Up • Other Breathing Disorders • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease • Bronchitis • Emphysema • Influenza • Lung Cancer • Pneumonia • Pulmonary Fibrosis • Tuberulosis • Out Patient Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program |
|
|
|
|