What you should know about COPD?
The chronic pulmonary obstructive, or COPD, is a serious disease. In 90% of cases it affects smokers.

What is the pulmonary chronic obstructive?
It is a disease of the lungs and bronchi (bronchial pneumonia), Permanent (“Chronic”) during which the bronchial diameter decreases ( “obstructive”) which causes breathing difficulties, first effort, then permanent and increasingly important.
This disease has long been called “chronic bronchitis” until the doctors a few years ago, prefer the more accurate term “chronic pulmonary obstructive”.

What causes the chronic pulmonary obstructive?
In at least 90% of cases it is caused by tobacco. The risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked and especially with the number of years of smoking.
Increasingly attacked by the nicotine and tar, the walls thicken and bronchial mucous glands, inflamed secratent excess mucus.
Consequence of these two phenomenons: the caliber of bronchial narrowing and air goes wrong in the lungs.


There are other risk factors for COPD smaller but very real, including:

  • The occupational risk: exposure to pollutants (toxic gas, cement, solvents, products of the mine, plant dust, silica dust …). The miners, foundry workers, construction and textile industry and farmers are exposed professions. Being smoking aggravates the disease.
  • A probable genetic factor: all smokers will not develop any disease. There is probably a genetic background favoring. The risk also differs by gender, since smoking women have equal forms earlier and more severe disease.

Other factors are themselves aggravating factors:

  • Air Pollution: oxidants released by automobiles and industrial black smoke,
  • Indoor air pollution (smoke, dust, toxic … in homes, apartments, factories and offices).


What are the early signs of COPD?
Initially, smokers cough, often in the morning, and crackles, but it is not yet bothered to breathe. These signs are not “normal”. They are already worried.
If daily coughs and spits at least 3 months per year when colds and bronchitis and multiply, “drag” and surinfectent is already COPD! If the smoker does not stop smoking at this stage COPD will progress and worsen.

What is the evolution of COPD?
Over the years, the caliber of the bronchi becomes increasingly narrow, the air passes less and less in the lungs and comes out just as hard. The cough settled, congestion is worsening respiratory tract, sputum intensified and often become purulent. As and when the person just to live a normal life. It is increasingly breathless, multiplies breaks up the stairs and finally has difficulty breathing, night and day.
The smoker does not always reflect the evolution of the disease. It gradually restricted his activities. Disability moved insidiously until the more serious stage, that of chronic respiratory insufficiency. At this stage the lungs are no longer able to ensure good oxygenation of the body. The work of the heart is increasingly difficult. Swollen ankles or legs, may appear, reflecting the onset of heart failure.
The daily administration of oxygen is so vital.

How do I know if one has an incipient COPD?
A smoker who runs out of steam (a little) when he made that effort or walking fast, spitting up phlegm regularly, often with colds or bronchitis, or cough for more than a month in a row must ask questions and view without delay.
The doctor (general practitioner or pulmonologist) can measure its breath and evaluate bronchial obstruction with a peak flow meter, such as for asthma, or a spirometer. It’s easy, just breathe.
Even in the absence of signs suggestive, smokers still have interest to ask their doctor to measure their lung capacity, particularly after 40 years. The disease usually appears from this age.

Stopping smoking can stop the disease?
Stopping smoking is very important, whatever the stage of disease. It prevents lung function deteriorated further. It is however not invalidate years of smoking and can not find any new lungs.
The mere reduction in consumption is not helpful.

What is the treatment of COPD?
COPD is an irreversible condition.
The total cessation of smoking is the most important treatment.
At an early stage, the practice of sport is recommended, especially for an endurance sport. Subsequently, drug therapy, especially bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids, reduce symptoms and complications and slow the deterioration of the lungs.
Sessions of chest physiotherapy are essential. The respiratory rehabilitation, provided as a first step in institutions and continued at home, gives good results. This is a set of physical measures (re-training effort, physiotherapy …) and psychotherapy that contribute to improving the quality of life.
If super infection occurs, appropriate antibiotic treatment is often necessary.
In this case, certain medicines should not be used as antitussives, sedatives and beta-blockers prescribed for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in ophthalmology.
To reduce the frequency and severity of outbreaks of COPD, it is also advisable to treat any outbreak of infection of the sinuses and teeth (sinusitis, dental caries, dental abscesses, gingivitis, etc..) And be vaccinated against the flu every years, and against the pneumococcus: every 5 years.
At the final stage of chronic respiratory failure, medications are not enough. The most serious patients are dependent on oxygen 16 hours a day or more. They are frequently hospitalized for respiratory decompensation.

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