Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, better known as COPD, refers to a group of diseases that affect the lungs and your ability to breathe. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are two of the most common chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, but they are far from the only ones. While the exact symptoms you experience and the treatment you need will vary from disease to disease, all forms of COPD cause dangerous and irreparable damage to the lungs.
Over time, COPD gradually blocks your lungs and airways and causes breathing difficulties. Because you cannot reverse lung damage, it is important to have your COPD diagnosed and start a treatment plan as quickly as possible. That way, you can slow the damage, strengthen your lungs, and live a mostly normal life.
If you are diagnosed with a form of COPD, the first thing you will need to do is stop smoking. Smoking worsens the symptoms of COPD and accelerates lung damage. Therefore, it is important to stop smoking, inhaling dirt and dust, and putting yourself in situations where you might inhale drywall dust or asbestos.
In addition to putting the cigarettes away, medications are the main treatment for COPD. The type of medications you need to take will vary depending on your exact condition but will include one or more of the following.
Bronchodilators are medications that relax the muscles in your airways and make them wider, which makes it easier to breathe. Bronchodilators, such as albuterol and theophylline, are usually administered via an inhaler.
Some forms of COPD cause inflammation in the lungs and airways, which contribute to breathing difficulties. To reduce this swelling and inflammation, you may need steroids, such as prednisone and budesonide. Steroids can be administered through an inhaler, an injection, or as a pill.
In addition to being at higher risks of viral infections, COPD also puts you at higher risk of a lung infection. Therefore, you may need antibiotics, such as macrolide or cephalosporin to reduce your risk or cure an existing infection.
As with bronchodilators, anticholinergics are medications that relax the muscles around your airways and make it easier to breathe. These medications can also help clear mucus from your airways, which prevents a coughing and choking hazard. Aclidinium and ipratropium are two of the most commonly prescribed anticholinergics.
Leukotrienes are naturally occurring chemicals in the body that make your airway muscles tighter. However, when you have COPD, these leukotrienes are overactive, causing airway constrictions. To combat this, you may need leukotriene modifiers, such as montelukast or zileuton.
In addition to viruses and bacteria, you are also at higher risk of complications due to lung allergies when you have COPD. Therefore, you may require antihistamines, such as loratadine and fexofenadine, to help with allergic reactions and the symptoms they cause.
People with COPD are at increased risk if they develop a viral condition, such as COVID-19 or the common flu. Therefore, your doctor may keep you on antiviral medication, such as acyclovir or cidofovir.
In addition to medications, people with COPD can also benefit from lung therapy. Lung therapy could refer to oxygen therapy, which is where you wear an oxygen mask or nasal cannula connected to an oxygen tube. This provides a constant supply of oxygen to the blood and aids your breathing. However, lung therapy also refers to pulmonary breathing programs where a therapist teaches you breathing exercises to strengthen your lungs.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases are serious and debilitating conditions that can be terminal if you leave them untreated. While there is no permanent cure for COPD, and you cannot reverse lung damage, there are plenty of treatments that can help you live with your condition and keep it from progressing too quickly.