What Is COPD?
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease also known as COPD is a group of lung conditions in which the air passages become so narrow because of certain COPD triggers that it is difficult to empty the air out of the lungs. COPD includes two diseases namely Bronchitis and Emphysema. Bronchitis refers to inflamed and slim airways whereas emphysema affects the air sacs where gaseous exchange takes place. To learn more about COPD try reaching out to Clinical Research Organizations near you.
How Do Bronchitis and Emphysema Contribute to COPD?
Both Emphysema and Bronchitis are more or less similar and it is usually hard to distinguish between them but some of the distinctive signs are discussed here.
Signs of bronchitis begin to show when the coating of your bronchial tubes (which convey air to and from your lungs) becomes kindled or agitated. This brings “wet” phlegm that lasts up to 3 months. You could cough up thick, stained mucus, and feel drained and winded. Bronchitis can be short-lived but if the symptoms persist for around 2 years it is considered chronic bronchitis. This may indicate that you have COPD.
On the other hand, the signs of Emphysema include shortness of breath because of damaged alveoli (air sacs). The walls become fragile and eventually start to lose their elasticity. During the initial days, it may only be triggered while you’re active but with time you may experience symptoms even at rest. In both conditions, COPD triggers can cause the onset of symptoms.
What Causes COPD?
The main cause of COPD is smoking cigarettes. Cigarettes contain certain chemicals that are toxic and cancerous that negatively affect your health. There are roughly 600 elements in cigarettes. When smoked, cigarettes contain more than 7,000 synthetic substances. Somewhere around 69 of these synthetic substances are cancerous, and many are poisonous.
Emphysema is rarely caused by a genetic condition called Alpha-1-Antitrypsin deficiency in which the body does not produce enough protein to help your lungs function properly.
Similarly, some conditions can put you at a high risk of developing bronchitis like gastric reflux.
Symptoms:
COPD sufferers do not usually show symptoms until the lungs are significantly damaged. Some of the common symptoms associated with COPD triggers are:
- Chest tightness,
- Wheezing,
- Shortness of breath,
- Discolored mucus,
- Frequent respiratory infections, and
- Swelling in ankles and feet.
What Are Some Of The Risk Factors?
The risk factors of COPD include:
- Exposure to tobacco: This is the most common risk factor for COPD.
- Asthma: The deadly combination of smoking and asthma increases the chances of COPD.
- Pollution: Air pollutants, dust, and vapors in the workplace can irritate the lining of the lungs.
- Exposure to Fumes and Chemicals: High exposure to chemicals through cooking and heating in poorly ventilated areas can lead to COPD.
- Genetics: As previously discussed, the deficiency of Alpha 1 AntiTrypsin may cause COPD.
Complications:
Some of the complications of COPD are listed below:
- Lung Cancer: People with COPD are at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.
- Cardiovascular conditions.
- Respiratory infection: Individuals with COPD are susceptible to getting influenza and pneumonia. Any respiratory disease can make it substantially harder to inhale and could further harm lung tissue.
- Depression: Due to altered breathing, COPD stops one from doing things they love which can negatively affect one’s mental health.
Quality of Life With COPD:
COPD side effects continuously compromise the patient’s capacity to work, can make everyday activities difficult and can affect one’s sleep quality. They also suffer emotional turmoil because of the decreased quality of life.
Recurring exacerbations, mainly in patients with severe COPD, accelerate disease advancement and mortality. Therefore, patients with frequent exacerbations have a more prompt plunge in lung function, low quality of life, and decreased exercise routine.
Factors That Affect The Quality Of Life In COPD:
COPD is the cause of high mortality and morbidity rates. It is nonetheless a challenging condition that needs to be managed stringently.
Some of the factors that are responsible for impacting the quality of life:
- Older age,
- Dyspnea,
- Longer duration of illness, and
- Comorbidities.
COPD and Age:
The predominance of COPD is higher in individuals beyond 60 years as compared to their younger counterparts. Without a doubt, COPD is viewed as a state of hastened lung aging.
Surprisingly, COPD is more prevalent in women than men. Women are 37% more probable to develop COPD. Most of the deaths reported due to COPD involve women.
COPD and Depression:
About 40% of individuals with COPD present with severe depression symptoms. It is mainly because of the exhausting symptoms of COPD that restrict a person from doing the things they once loved. This takes a toll on mental health and a person goes through a vicious cycle of consuming thoughts.
It is not easy to diagnose depression in COPD because of the overlapping symptoms of both conditions. Due to the increased consumption of cigarettes and also the constant interaction with the pollutants that have certain chemicals which affect the brain’s ability to function normally, the symptoms of anxiety and depression worsen.
Passive Smoking and COPD:
Passive smoking also acts as one of the COPD triggers. It is when you inhale secondhand smoke from other active smokers. The other name for passive smoking is environmental tobacco smoke as it enters the environment. The inhalation of this smoke is equally dangerous for non-smokers.
Research is still underway to assess the relationship between passive smoking and COPD. Nonetheless, passive smoking increases the risk of developing COPD and other respiratory disorders.
COPD And Obstructive Sleep Apnea – What’s The Link?
Obstructive sleep apnea is an upper respiratory disease that is represented by frequent closure of the upper airway. It is often associated with COPD and the combination is known as overlap syndrome. This may lead to other issues like hyper-capnea (large amounts of carbon dioxide in the blood) and pulmonary hypertension.
The deadly combination of sleep apnea and COPD makes it even harder to sleep peacefully at night, ultimately affecting the quality of life. Both have a negative impact on the functioning of the heart and can cause heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension).
COPD Prevention:
The only way to keep COPD at bay is by staying away from smoking. Smoking is the leading cause of COPD and is extremely hazardous for the lungs and the overall well-being of an individual. In the same way, passive smoking or environmental tobacco smoke is equally dangerous and increases the risk of COPD.
The Takeaway:
COPD can be a fatal disease if it is not managed in time. It is essential to keep in mind the COPD triggers to avoid unsolicited attacks that may hinder your day-to-day activities. Avoiding those triggers can help reduce the symptoms.
Many research studies are working to understand the complexity of the disease to come up with a potential treatment option. Likewise, COPD research studies in Michigan can help you better apprehend your symptoms and possible treatment choices.
