Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease abbreviated as COPD is a very dangerous disease which can attack a human being. The main cause of this disease is smoking and external pollution. A person suffering from this disease faces a lot of breathing problems and hence it becomes difficult for him or her to survive. In COPD very less amount of air flows inside the air sacs of your lungs and this result in breathing problem of the patient. People who want to know what actually the disease is should understand the basic working function of the lungs. The air which we breathe actually goes down the windpipe to the bronchial tubes in the lungs. This bronchial tube branches into smaller tubes known as the bronchioles and further it has a tiny air sac at the end of each branch biologically termed as alveoli. This air sac basically deforms or loses the elasticity when you have COPD.
Conditions
When you are breathing in then the air sacs also known as alveoli inflates and it deflates when you breathe out. Now a person having the pulmonary disease the walls of the air sacs get destroyed at that time. Sometimes the walls of the air sacs also get thick and inflamed and hence the person starts having a breathing problem. The very main cause of this COPD is cigarette smoking and hence people who are addicted to smoking should quit as soon as possible. There are basically two conditions of COPD and they are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. These two conditions can be explained in details. The condition known as emphysema is damage to the air sacs of your lungs which makes you difficult to breathe. If the air sacs are damaged then not enough oxygen goes inside your lungs and hence people start suffering from a breathing problem.
The next condition of COPD is known as chronic bronchitis. The air which you breathe in goes inside a tube in your lungs which are known as bronchial tubes. When these bronchial tubes get inflamed, it gets difficult to breathe and breathing problem originates. There are mainly two types of bronchitis known as acute bronchitis and chronic bronchitis. Acute bronchitis is mainly caused due to infections or irritations in lungs and chronic bronchitis occurs when the linings of the bronchial tubes are inflamed. Acute bronchitis is also caused by some bacteria and hence people should be very alert of this.
Symptoms
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has certain symptoms which can be discussed in details. People should know these symptoms so that they can understand whether they are suffering from COPD. Basically, COPD is a progressive disease which means that with time it gets worse and hence people should be very careful. The early you understand the symptoms the better it is. Initially, there are very mild symptoms of COPD but with time you will get to know more. The usual symptoms are coughing and production of mucus with the cough. This is the most common symptom of COPD. If you exercise daily then you will fall short of breath very soon which is also a symptom of COPD. Another common symptom of COPD is wheezing which basically is a whistling sound while you breathe. The symptoms which are mentioned above are very common ones but it does not mean that every person who has this will have COPD. Hence the best thing would be to have a check-up with your doctor who will give you the best advice. There are certain severe symptoms of COPD which can be explained in details. The first thing is your finger nails will turn blue if you lack oxygen in your blood. Mental alertness also weakens when you have this disease and hence this is also a severe symptom of COPD. People should see a doctor immediately when they see these signs or symptoms so that the disease does not reach an alarming level.
Treatment
Every disease in this world will have some treatment and similarly COPD also has certain treatments which one can follow. Usually this disease does not have any proper treatment and no doctor usually prescribes medicine for this. The main objective of a person who is suffering with this disease should try to cure as soon as possible. Improving the overall health should also be another objective and if you can fulfil these two objectives then the COPD will get treated automatically. The first treatment would be to quit smoking and this is a very important factor for curing COPD. If you have symptoms for pulmonary disease then the first thing which you should do is quit smoking. People who are addicted to smoking have a difficulty in quitting smoking but they should try their level best. You should also take care if you visit a highly polluted zone. External pollution also creates a lot of problems to patients suffering from COPD. People should also live on healthy diet which will help you to recover faster. The third treatment would be to stay active in your daily life. If you stay active then the muscles strengthen and it helps you to breathe better. There are medicines also which will help you to reduce this disease but it is better to undergo natural treatment.
Conclusion
It is seen that many people in this world are suffering from COPD and hence proper lifestyle is needed for faster treatment. A person who has COPD should first get admitted to a proper rehabilitation centre where he/she will be given therapies to quit smoking. Giving up smoking is not at all an easy thing for people who are addicted to it. Doctors have certain special ways to diagnose this disease. They will first check your lungs with stethoscope and then will suggest you what to do. There is a machine called spirometer which will say how much air you can breathe in and breathe out. People can avoid this disease in many ways and the best possible way is not to fall in the habit of smoking. If you are not addicted to smoking then you will be 99% safe from COPD. People should avoid dust and lung irritations which will also help to keep away from this disease.