Physicians' Portal
What is COPD?
COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Sometimes we call it Chronic Bronchitis or Emphysema. COPD generally affects people over the age of 40 and most have a history of smoking. COPD is a chronic disease and the symptoms often come on so gradually that you may not even notice them until the disease is quite advanced. The obstruction is in the air tubes in the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe out. COPD is a progressive disease – once the damage is done to the lungs it cannot be reversed. The good news is that it can be slowed and modified and that’s what a Pulmonary Rehab Program will help you with.
One of the changes in the air tubes is from inflammation. The lining of the air tubes becomes swollen and that narrows the inside, making the space for air to travel through smaller. As well, the lung tissue becomes swollen.
Around the outside of the air tubes are muscles that tighten and narrow the inside of the air tube. This is called bronchospasm or bronchoconstriction. Unlike asthma where the muscle tightening comes and goes, with COPD it is there all the time.
And finally, the cells within the lungs that produce mucous become larger and start to produce extra mucous. The mucous then further blocks the air tubes.
All of these changes make air movement in and out of the lungs more difficult. The result is that our lungs do not empty as well when we breathe out. Some air remains in the lungs. This is called air trapping. The air trapping increases the size of our lungs and decreases the efficiency at which they work.
Some forms of COPD also damage the tiny air sacs at the end of the air tubes. These air sacs are where the oxygen that you breathe in is transferred into the blood stream. For some people with COPD, these air sacs become over stretched and floppy which means that they cannot exchange the oxygen as well.
The primary symptom for COPD is breathlessness. You may be short of breath when performing specific activities, or short of breath when performing any activities. Because of the change to the mucous producing cells, your lungs may make more mucous and you will have a cough with mucous that you will spit out.
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