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Understanding COPD

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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of diseases characterized by persistent breathing problems and airflow limitation.

1 Overview

It comprises two main components: emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Although these two chronic diseases affect the respiratory system and make breathing difficult, they each target different parts of the lung tissue and present different symptoms:

Chronic bronchitis

Chronic bronchitis is associated with inflammation of the respiratory tract, and is accompanied by variable symptoms such as excessive mucus production and coughing with or without fever.

Emphysema

Emphysema progressively destroys the pulmonary alveoli, almost exclusively causing shortness of breath.

2 What are the common symptoms of COPD?

The main symptoms of COPD are as follows

  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest tightness
  • Persistent cough with mucus
  • Frequent chest infections
  • Persistent wheezing

3 What are the causes?

COPD can result from a variety of mechanisms that narrow the airways. These include destruction of lung tissue, mucus obstruction in the airways, and inflammation and swelling of the airway lining. Risk factors for COPD include the following:

  • Active smoking or exposure to passive smoking.
  • Occupational exposure to dusts, fumes or chemicals.
  • Indoor air pollution, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where biomass (wood, animal dung, crop residues) or coal is often used for cooking and heating, leading to high levels of exposure to smoke.
  • Events early in life, such as poor growth in utero, premature birth and frequent or severe respiratory infections in childhood, which prevent optimal lung growth.
  • Childhood asthma.
  • Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a rare genetic disorder that can cause COPD early in life.

Smoking and air pollution are the most common causes of COPD. The disease cannot be cured, but symptoms can be reduced by not smoking and minimizing exposure to air pollution. People with COPD are also at greater risk of other health problems. These include:

  • Lung infections
  • Lung cancer
  • Heart problems
  • Muscle weakness and bone fragility
  • Depression and anxiety.