Symptoms and Causes
How Do I Know if I Have COPD?
When it comes to chronic illnesses like COPD, only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis.1 However, there are certain things you can look for that are most common to COPD. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms—and especially if you have been exposed to risk factors like smoking or environmental hazards—scheduling an appointment with your doctor should be considered.1,2 COPD symptoms to look for often include:
- Chronic cough
- Chronic mucus production
- Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
The first symptom of COPD is usually a chronic morning cough with sputum.1,3 Sputum is a mixture of saliva and mucus coughed up from your respiratory tract. You may also experience wheezing when breathing in or out.1 As COPD progresses, you may also develop shortness of breath during physical activity.1,3
Your doctor will initially suspect COPD based on your symptoms and your history of exposure to risk factors. Be sure to offer an accurate accounting of both. The diagnosis is then confirmed by a breathing test using a spirometer. This is a device that determines the health of your lungs by measuring how much air the lungs can hold and how easily you can breathe it out.1
Remember, COPD is a progressive disease and it can get worse over time.1 The sooner you get diagnosed and begin treatment the better.
What Are the Causes of COPD?
- COPD is most common among people who smoke.1
- Aside from smoking, there are a number of environmental factors that can cause COPD. These include heavy exposure to occupational dusts and chemicals (vapors, irritants, and fumes), and indoor air pollution, such as smoke from cooking and heating with fires made from wood or coal in poorly ventilated spaces.1
- In addition to smoking and environmental causes, a history of severe childhood respiratory infections are often associated with breathing difficulties later in life, including COPD.1
- Finally, a small number of people have been found to lack a certain blood protein (alpha-1 antitrypsin), which has been linked to COPD. Not everyone, however, who lacks this blood protein develops COPD.1
Quit Smoking
By now, we all know that smoking is by far the most prominent risk factor for COPD.1 The decision to quit smoking may give you an edge in your fight against COPD. In fact, quitting smoking now may help improve your lung function.4 However, it’s important to remember that the benefits of quitting can be quickly lost if you choose to resume the habit.4 When it comes to managing COPD, the sooner you quit smoking, the better.4
The differences between these lines illustrate effects that smoking, and stopping smoking, can have on the lung function of one who is liable to develop chronic obstructive lung disease if they smoke.5
Although smoking is one of the most difficult addictions to overcome, millions of people have successfully used smoking cessation programs to help them quit permanently. Talk frankly to your doctor about stop-smoking programs, quit strategies, and medications that are available to you. We understand that quitting is hard, but the benefits can be significant. Click here for more information on resources to help you quit smoking.
References:
1. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. November 2006. Available at: www.goldcopd.org. Accessed May 20, 2008.
2. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Data Fact Sheet. Bethesda, MD: US Dept of Health and Human Services; 2003. NIH publication 03-5229.
3. American Lung Association. COPD Fact Sheet. Available at: www.lungusa.org. Accessed May 20, 2008.
4. Scanlon PD, Connett JE, Waller LA, et al. Smoking cessation and lung function in mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: The Lung Health Study. Am J Resp Crit Care Med. 2000;l6l:381-390.
5. Fletcher C, Peto R. The natural history of chronic airflow obstruction. Br Med J. 1977;1:1645-1648.
