What You Should Know About COPD

A lot of my practice deals with allergies and asthma. But I also deal with a disease that can be confused with asthma, COPD.Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to the Mayo Clinic, is a group of lung diseases that block airflow and make breathing difficult. The two primary examples of COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis.States the Mayo Clinic website, "in chronic bronchitis, there is an inflammation of the lining your bronchial tubes, which carry air to and from your lungs. Emphysema occurs when the air saces (alveoli) at the end of the smallest air passages (bronchioles) in the lungs are gradually destroyed.Now there are similarities between COPD and asthma. In an interesting article in the Medscape Journal, the publication characterizes the commonality of symptoms: It states "both are characterized by a reduced rate of pulmonary airflow from increased inflammation. Airway obstruction is typically fully or nearly fully reversible in patients with asthma, whereas COPD is characterized by airway obstruction that is not fully reversible."However, the causes of asthma and COPD are different. Asthmatics may have a genetic predisposition to their illness, which tends to run in families. However, not all predisposed family members may get asthma. Some experts theorize that respiratory infections in infancy or early childhood may play a major role in the disease.COPD on the other hand, has a more definitive cause. Smoking constitutes a majority of cases in 85 to 90 percent of COPD deaths. Moreover, exposure to air pollution, chemicals, and secondhand smoke can also cause it. In rare cases, says the American Lung Association, there is a genetic defect called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, constituting 2 to 3 percent of all COPD cases.COPD is often not diagnosed in people until they reach 40 years of age. Asthma cases are diagnosed very early; children often exhibit symptoms at the age of 5. COPD is a progressive disease, unlike asthma, where is some cases some children may even outgrow the condition as they get older.While medical treatment for COPD may not repair structural changes in already damaged lung tissue, it can slow down the progression of the disease.