COPD

COPD: Introduction

COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a chronic, ongoing, progressive disease of the lower respiratory tract in the lungs. The hallmark of the disease is difficulty with breathing that slowly gets worse over time. COPD is a seriously disabling disease with the potential for major complications and is often eventually fatal. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, COPD is a major cause of disability, and it's the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.

The disease develops most often as a result of smoking, but can also occur from long-term inhalation of other irritants into the lungs. COPD develops when irritants are breathed into the respiratory tract into the bronchioles, small hollow passageways that branch off the main airway from the mouth and nose. Normally, air and needed oxygen pass through the bronchioles and into the alveoli, tiny hollow sack-like structures in the lungs where oxygen is absorbed in to the bloodstream. When air is mixed with smoke or irritants, it can damage the lungs and their ability to take in enough oxygen. Long-term inhalation of irritants results in a loss of elasticity in the bronchioles and alveoli, destruction of the walls between alveoli, and swelling and inflammation of the airways. There is also an abnormally large amount of mucus production, which can block airways. The longer the lungs are exposed to smoke or irritants, the more likely it is that you will develop COPD. COPD is usually diagnosed in middle-age or elderly people, but it can happen younger in life.

Symptoms of COPD

• Early symptoms - not many symptoms for sometimes 10 years after smoking started
  • Daily morning cough
  • Mild shortness of breath
  • Occasional coughing
  • Severe cough from respiratory infection - such as the common cold
• more symptoms...»

See full list of 26 symptoms of COPD

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to COPD:

• Smoking-Related Disorders: Home Testing:
  • Nicotine Home Tests
  • Home Lung Function Tests
  • Asthma-Related Home Testing
• Lung & Respiratory Health Tests:
  • Asthma-Related Home Test Kits
  • Home Lung Function Test Kits
• Cold & Flu: Home Testing:
  • Home Fever Tests
  • Home Ear Infection Test Kits
  • Home Flu Tests
  • Home Strep A Tests
• more tests...»

COPD: Complications

Review possible medical complications related to COPD:

• Heart failure
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Cor pulmonale
• Polycythemia
• Secondary polycythemia (type of Polycythemia)
• more complications...»

Medical Textbooks Online about COPD

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for COPD

• Lung function tests
  • Spirometer (lung function test)
  • Forced vital capacity (FVC) lung test
  • Residual volume (RV) lung test
  • Total lung capacity (TLC) lung test
• more tests...»

See full list of 8 diagnostic tests for COPD

Wrongly Diagnosed with COPD?

• Misdiagnosis of COPD
• Failure to diagnose COPD
• Hidden causes of COPD (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Undiagnosed: COPD

COPD: Self Assessment Tools

• Exercise -- Self Assessment Tools
• Smoking -- Self Assessment Tools
• Chronic Lung Disorders -- Self Assessment Tools
• more tools...»

COPD: Medical Mistakes

• COPD -- Health Mistakes
• Emphysema -- Health Mistakes
• Asthma -- Health Mistakes
• Allergies -- Health Mistakes
• more mistakes...»

COPD: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers

Products, offers and promotion categories available for COPD:

• Senior Health
• Asthma
• Allergies
• Flu (influenza)
• more product offers...»

COPD: Undiagnosed Conditions

Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:

• Chronic Respiratory Disorders that may be Undiagnosed:
  • Asthma -- Undiagnosed
  • Allergies -- Undiagnosed
  • COPD -- Undiagnosed
  • Emphysema -- Undiagnosed
  • Chronic Bronchitis -- Undiagnosed
  • Lung Cancer -- Undiagnosed
  • Sinusitis -- Undiagnosed
  • Cystic Fibrosis -- Undiagnosed
  • Obstructive Sleep Apnea -- Undiagnosed
• more undiagnosed conditions...»

Misdiagnosis and COPD

Sinusitis is overdiagnosed: There is a tendency to give a diagnosis of sinusitis, when the condition is really a harmless complication of another infection, such as a common cold....read more »

Whooping cough often undiagnosed: Although most children in the Western world have been immunized against whooping cough (also called "pertussis"), this...read more »

Alzheimer's disease over-diagnosed: The well-known disease of Alzheimer's disease is often over-diagnosed. Patients tend to assume that any memory loss or forgetulness symptom might be Alzheimer's, whereas there are...read more »

Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for a patient to show mental decline to dementia. Whereas this can, of course, occur due to various medical conditions, such as a stroke or Alzheimer's disease,...read more »

Tremor need not be Parkinson's disease: There is the tendency to believe that any tremor symptom, or shakiness, means Parkinson's disease. The reality is that there are various...read more »

Rare diseases misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease: A rare genetic disorder is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease for men in their 50's. The disease Fragile X disorder...read more »

Chronic lung diseases hard to diagnose: Some of the chronic lung diseases are difficult to diagnose. Even the well-knowns conditions such as asthma or lung cancer often fail to be...read more »

Misdiagnosed weight-related causes of infertility: A woman's weight status can affect her level of fertility. Although obesity or overweight can in themselves reduce fertility, there are other...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and COPD

COPD: Research Doctors & Specialists

Research related physicians and medical specialists:

• Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists:
  • Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose & Throat)
  • Pediatric Otolaryngology (Child Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist)
  • Otology / Neurotology (Ear/Hearing Specialists)
  • Plastic Surgery within the Head & Neck
• Lung Health Specialists (Pulmonologist):
  • Pulmonology (Lung Health Specialists)
  • Pediatric Pulmonology (Child Lung Health)
• Senior Health Specialists (Geriatrics):
  • Geriatric Medicine (Senior Health Specialist)
  • Geriatric Psychiatry (Senior Mental Health)
• more specialists...»

Other doctor, physician and specialist research services:

• Rate Your Doctor Online
• Research Your Doctor Online
• Review Patient Surveys About Your Doctor
• Research local specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.

Hospitals & Clinics: COPD

Research quality ratings and patient safety measures for medical facilities in specialties related to COPD:

• Lung Health (Pulmonology) -- Hospital Quality Ratings
• Senior Health -- Hospital Quality Ratings
• Nursing Homes & Aged Care Facilities -- Quality Ratings
• more hospital ratings...»

Hospital & Clinic quality ratings » »

Choosing the Best Hospital: More general information, not necessarily in relation to COPD, on hospital performance and surgical care quality:

• 50 Best Hospitals Report
• Outstanding Patient Experinece Award Winning Hospitals
• Women's Health Best Hospitals
• Patient Safety
• Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence Study (2009)

COPD: Rare Types

Rare types of diseases and disorders in related medical categories:

• Chronic Respiratory Disorders -- Rare Types:
  • Asthma -- Rare Types
  • Allergies -- Rare Types
  • COPD -- Rare Types
  • Emphysema -- Rare Types
  • Chronic Bronchitis -- Rare Types
  • Lung Cancer -- Rare Types
  • Sinusitis -- Rare Types
  • Cystic Fibrosis -- Rare Types
  • Obstructive Sleep Apnea -- Rare Types
• more rare diseases...»

Causes of COPD

• Cigarette smoking
• more causes...»

Read more about causes of COPD

More information about causes of COPD:

• Underlying causes of COPD
• COPD as a complication caused by other conditions
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of COPD

Treatments for COPD

• Quit smoking
• Home oxygen therapy
• Bronchodilators
  • Sympathomimetics - inhaled, injected, or taken orally.
    • Isoproterenol
• more treatments...»

See full list of 65 treatments for COPD

Latest Treatments for COPD

• Hydration
• Oxygen
• Pulmonary rehabilitation
• Lung reduction surgery
• Lung transplantation
• more treatments...»

See full list of 15 latest treatments for COPD

News Archives for COPD

Medical news articles related to COPD include:

• Researchers Suspect Genetic Link to COPD
• Inhaled Corticosteroids Boost Pneumonia Risk in COPD
• Long-Term Erythromycin Cut COPD Complications
• Beta Blockers May Cut Mortality in COPD Patients After Surgery
• Leading COPD Drugs Tied to Stroke, Heart Attack
• Broccoli Compound May Help COPD Patients
• more health news...»

Source: HealthDay News

Videos for COPD

Patient Surveys for COPD

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
  Take Survey  View Results

Prognosis for COPD

Prognosis for COPD: Variable. Good prognosis depends on early diagnosis (i.e. on extent of lung damage).

More about prognosis of COPD

Reseach about COPD

Visit our research pages for current research about COPD treatments.

Clinical Trials for COPD

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for COPD include:

• Evaluation of Spirometry Expert Support in General Practice - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• The Additional Value of Noninvasive Ventilation Next to Rehabilitation in Patients With Hypercapnic Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• COPD on Primary Care Treatment (COOPT) - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - N-acetylcysteine,fluticasone propionate
• A Blinded Study Comparing the Safety and Efficacy of a Fully Human Anti-IL8 Monoclonal Antibody (ABX-IL8) to Placebo in Patients With Chronic Bronchitis and COPD - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - ABX-IL8
• Comparison of Two Treatment Regimens to Reduce PA Infection in Children With Cystic Fibrosis - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Tobramycin,Ciprofloxacin
• more trials...»

See full list of 292 Clinical Trials for COPD

Prevention of COPD

Prevention information for COPD has been compiled from various data sources and may be inaccurate or incomplete. None of these methods guarantee prevention of COPD.

• Quit smoking
• more preventions...»

Read more about prevention of COPD

Statistics for COPD

• Medical statistics for COPD
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for COPD
• Death and Mortality statistics for COPD
• Society statistics for COPD

COPD: Broader Related Topics

• Respiratory conditions
• Lung conditions
• Chronic lower respiratory diseases
• more types...»

Types of COPD

Types of COPD

• Chronic bronchitis
• Pulmonary emphysema
• more types...»

Read more about Types of COPD

Curable Types of COPD

Possibly curable types of COPD include:

• Smoking induced COPD
• Occupational exposure induced COPD
• Air pollution induced COPD
• more types...»

Rare Types of COPD:

Rare types of COPD include:

• Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency induced COPD
• Cooking smoke induced COPD
• Repeated lung infection induced COPD
• Silicosis induced COPD
• Emphysema
• Chronic bronchitis
• Panacinar emphysema
• Paraseptal emphysema
• more types...»

Stories from Users Related to COPD

• What Happened To Me? How DId I get COPD?
• copd
• COAD vs COPD

User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about COPD, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), also called chronic obstructive lung disease, is a term that is used for two closely related diseases of the respiratory system: chronic bronchitis and emphysema. In many patients these diseases occur together, although there may be more symptoms of one than the other. Most patients with these diseases have a long history of heavy cigarette smoking. (Source: excerpt from What is COPD: NHLBI)

Definitions of COPD:

Chronic, irreversible obstruction of air flow from the lungs. - (Source - Diseases Database)

A nonreversible lung disease that is a combination of emphysema and chronic bronchitis; usually patients have been heavy cigarette smokers - (Source - WordNet 2.1)