Better Health & Living

Issue: March 2008
COPD: It Takes Your Breath Away
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COPD: It Takes Your Breath Away

by Susan Flagg Godbey

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If you have a condition called COPD, you’re always waiting to exhale. Like birthday balloons that have lost their oomph, the tiny tubes and air sacs in your lungs can’t force out all the stale air, so there’s not much room left for your next inhalation of oxygen-rich air. COPD makes you cough, wheeze, and feel tired. It also raises your risk of lung infections and life-threatening lung damage.

Its technical-sounding name (COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder) may make you think this condition is rare, but it’s not. It refers to two chronic lung diseases—emphysema and chronic bronchitis, both characterized by obstructed air flow—and it’s actually the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, behind heart disease, cancer, and stroke. A recent 12-country international study of more than 9,000 people over 40 years old found that 1 in 10 had moderate to severe cases, but most didn’t know it.  “COPD is the result of a lifetime of breathing in cigarette smoke and chemical fumes and tiny airborne particles on the job,” says lung health expert and researcher Sonia Buist, MD, a professor of medicine at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. “Many people have it, but they and their doctors don’t realize it.”
Here’s what you need to know.

I’ve smoked all my life, and now I cough a lot. Should I be tested for COPD?

Absolutely. One of the things we’ve found out in our research is that many people are not being diagnosed. Your doctor should ask for your health history to see what you’ve been exposed to in the past, such as smoking; frequent exposure to secondhand smoke at home or at work; a job where you’ve breathed in fumes, dust, or particles in the air; or even a family history of lung problems. The next step is getting a lung function test called spirometry; you’ll blow into a large tube connected to a device that measures how much air your lungs can hold and how well you exhale. This can detect COPD even before you have symptoms.

Can COPD treatments repair my lungs?

No. Medications for COPD will help you breathe more easily and help you avoid frequent lung infections. You can’t regrow damaged lung tissue, but you can protect against further damage by quitting smoking. If the air in your workplace is full of fumes, smoke, or dust, you may want to think about asking for a transfer to a job with less exposure or request a respirator to filter them out. This will protect your lungs, too.

Can asthma lead to COPD?

People with a genetic risk for asthma also have a higher risk of developing COPD. And if you smoke, as many people with asthma do, you may have both conditions. The best way to find out whether you have asthma, COPD, or both is by getting two spirometry tests. Your doctor gives you the first one and then has you inhale an asthma medication called a bronchodilator. Then you take a repeat spirometry test. If the results improve significantly, you’re more likely to have asthma than COPD—and the steps you’ll take to treat it and avoid triggering new asthma attacks will be a little different.

I’ve never smoked, but I’m having breathing problems. I cough a lot and get lung infections and tire out easily. Could I still have COPD?

A few people have a genetic disorder that can lead to COPD even if they’ve never smoked. This is still being researched. In the meantime, you should have your lungs checked, especially if you have breathing problems in the early adult years.

I had a chest x-ray for emphysema because I’m a heavy smoker, and I was told everything was OK.  Does that mean I don’t need to be tested for COPD?

Regular X-rays pick up only advanced lung damage in emphysema. You could have early lung problems even if your chest X-ray didn’t show anything. A breathing test for COPD can find these problems earlier and give you time to avoid more extensive harm to your lungs. Too many people struggle with COPD when they could be getting help.

By Susan Flagg Godbey and the Editors of Better Health & Living®

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