Living with COPD
Although there is no cure for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), your symptoms can be managed, and damage to your lungs can be slowed. If you smoke, quitting is the most important thing you can do to help your lungs. You also need to try to stay away from people who are smoking or places where there is smoking.
It is important to keep the air in your home clean. Here are some things that may help you in your home:
Keep smoke, fumes, and strong smells out of your home.
If your home is painted or sprayed for insects, have it done when you can stay away from your home.
Cook near an open door or window.
If you heat with wood or kerosene, keep a door or window open.
Keep your windows closed and stay at home when there is a lot of pollution or dust outside.
Actively practicing some form of exercise, along with proper nutrition, can also significantly improve your quality of life. Low-impact activities place minimum stress on joints and are easier to perform than high-intensity activities. You may benefit from exercise programs that simply target the upper body and are designed to increase strength of the respiratory muscles.
Ask your doctor or nurse about getting a flu shot and pneumonia vaccination.
COPD Basics
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a term referring to two lung diseases, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, that are characterized by obstruction to airflow that interferes with normal breathing. Both of these conditions frequently co-exist, hence physicians prefer the term COPD. It does not include other obstructive diseases such as asthma.
COPD is the third leading cause of death in America, claiming the lives of 127,049 Americans in 2005
This is the fifth consecutive year in which women have exceeded men in the number of deaths attributable to COPD. In 2005, almost 66,000 females died compared to 61,000 males.
Smoking is the primary risk factor for COPD. Approximately 80 to 90 percent of COPD deaths are caused by smoking. Female smokers are nearly 13 times as likely to die from COPD as women who have never smoked. Male smokers are nearly 12 times as likely to die from COPD as men who have never smoked. Any current or former smoker over age 40 or never-smoker with a family history of COPD, emphysema or chronic bronchitis, those with exposure to occupational or environmental pollutants and those with a chronic cough, sputum (matter discharged from air passages) production or breathlessness, should seek testing for COPD with spirometry.
Other risk factors of COPD include exposure to air pollution, second-hand smoke and occupational dusts and chemicals, heredity, a history of childhood respiratory infections and socioeconomic status. Particulate matter from cigarette smoke and air pollution, including smoke from poorly ventilated wood stoves and the burning of biomass, are related to lung damage.
This information and more can be found at www.lungusa.org.
Smoking Cessation
Why should you quit smoking after you are diagnosed with COPD? It is true that the damage to your lungs is irreversible but if you quit smoking your lung function decline will dramatically slow after you quit. In fact, several lung health studies have found that those who quit smoking experienced an improvement in lung function in the first year after quitting.
You may think that using electronic cigarettes may be an easier way to stop smoking. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that after laboratory analysis that electronic cigarettes contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals including diethylene glycol, a ingredient used in antifreeze.
If you are interested in changing your life and want help to quit smoking, there are several resources out there to assist you including:
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