What is COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)?
COPD is a disease that makes it hard to breathe. It's the result of lung irritants that have
caused permanent damage to the lungs. COPD includes two conditions:
- Emphysema
- Chronic bronchitis
- Or both of these conditions
People with COPD have symptoms that include:
- Shortness of breath (especially during physical activity)
- Wheezing (a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe)
- Tightness in your chest
- A long-term—or chronic—cough that produces mucus
Look at our COPD Symptoms Checklist to see if you or
someone you know may have symptoms of COPD.
Here are some tips on lessening the impact of COPD:
- Although you’ve heard this before, stopping smoking is the most important way in which
you can manage your COPD. It can help your lungs begin to repair themselves.
- Avoid secondhand smoke
- Avoid going outside when there is a lot of dust in the air or air pollution
- Avoid chemical fumes
- Get flu and/or pneumonia shots, if your healthcare provider asks you to do so
There is no cure for COPD. However, medicines like ProAir RespiClick® can
help provide relief. Learn more about the medication that
can help.
Emphysema: Damage in the lungs.
Emphysema is one type of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
Emphysema means that the tiny air sacs in the lungs have been damaged. This damage doesn’t happen
overnight:
- Over time, exposure to irritants (most commonly smoke) damages the
tiny air sacs—called alveoli—that you need in order to breathe
- The walls of these sacs lose their flexibility, and may even break down entirely. Because
the sacs can’t stretch, they can’t push air out. The end result is that the body doesn’t
get the oxygen it needs.
- This may make a person with emphysema feel out of breath even after mild activity,
like walking
Chronic bronchitis: Narrowing of the airways in the lungs.
Chronic bronchitis is another type of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). When a
person has chronic bronchitis:
- The airways in the lungs become inflamed, causing them to thicken or swell. The muscles
around the airways also tighten up, making the airways even smaller.
- Less air is able to flow through the airways
- Daily coughing often occurs because the airways produce a lot of mucus. Coughing is how the
body gets rid of mucus.
Symptoms of COPD can be treated.
The changes to the airways that occur with COPD may lead to reversible bronchospasm that can
be temporarily treated with a rescue inhaler medicine, like ProAir RespiClick®. It’s
“breath-activated” and only requires you to breathe in to get the medicine into your lungs, where
it’s needed.
How might ProAir RespiClick® help people with COPD breathe better?
With COPD, it’s sometimes difficult to predict when your breathing will get worse, so it’s a good
idea to always keep a rescue inhaler like ProAir RespiClick® close by.
This is how ProAir RespiClick® works when you inhale the medicine:
- The muscles in your airways relax
- This allows more air to flow into your lungs
- So you can breathe more freely
See all the features of the ProAir RespiClick®
rescue inhaler.
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