Emphysema

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive, chronic disease which literally will take your breath away. COPD is a group of lung diseases that cause swelling of the airways. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the most common forms of COPD.

Taking Action
There are many things people at risk for COPD can do:

Quit Smoking
If you smoke, the best thing you can to do prevent more damage to your lungs is to quit. To help you quit, there are many online resources and several new aids available from your doctor. The National Cancer Institute has information on smoking cessation. Visit SmokeFree.gov, the American Lung Association, or call 1-800-QUIT NOW for more information.

It would seem that anyone who was suffering with COPD would be depressed. However, that is not true; only a certain percentage of patients suffer from clinical depression. Now medical scientists are finding out that survival rates, quality of life, and length of hospitalizations are all improved when depression is treated.

Breathing exercises help you control the emptying of your lungs by using your abdominal muscles. Detailed directions are given for three types of breathing that you might not be used to doing: diaphragmatic breathing, pursed-lip breathing, and deep-breathing exercises. They should be done two to four times daily.

Existing medications for COPD do not stop the decline in lung function,so the goal of any medicine prescribed for COPD is to provide relief of symptoms and prevent complications.

Getting pneumonia