COPD - How Can It Be Relieved?

There is no cure for the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease but you can slow the progression of COPD through maintenance therapy. In addition, quitting smoking can help slow the progression of COPD. Also staying away from secondhand smoke is advised. For people who work in factories and are subject to smoke as an occupational hazard, a job change is advised.

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.

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.