COPD - What Can Possibly Help You Get Relief?

COPD is a large term that is used to describe progressive lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, refractory (non-reversible) asthma, and bronchiectasis. This disease is characterized by increasing breathlessness. Upon experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms, it is only right for the patient to immediately consult a doctor at the earliest before the condition of the patient becomes worse.

While all the aforementioned signs are those of a patient experiencing COPD, having the correct knowledge of these stages helps to stop the rapid progression of the disease within the individual. Upon experiencing any of these signs, the patient should stop any form of smoking that the patient may do, immediately followed by consulting a Doctor.

By far, the biggest risk factor for COPD is long-term cigarette smoking. The more years you smoke and the more cigarettes you smoke daily, the greater your risk for developing the disease. People who smoke pipes, cigars and marijuana are also at risk. The combination of asthma and smoking increases the risk of COPD even more.

In about 1 percent of people with COPD, the disease results from a genetic disorder that causes low levels of a protein called alpha-1 antitrypsin. Alpha-1-antitrypsin is formed in the liver and secreted into the bloodstream to help protect the lungs. Other genetic factors also likely make certain smokers more susceptible to the disease.