COPD

What is Chronic Bronchitis?
• Chronic bronchitis is a constant and long-lasting irritation and swelling of the airways.
• The main symptoms of chronic bronchitis are cough and increased secretions from the lungs such as mucus.

What is emphysema?
• Emphysema is a condition in which air gets trapped inside the lungs. This makes it harder to breathe in again.
• The main symptom of emphysema is breathlessness.

What is Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency?
Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is a genetic disorder. People with Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency are at greater risk of developing COPD. Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is a substance normally present in the blood; its role is to protect the lungs from damage. Over the course of a lifetime, the delicate tissues of the lungs are exposed daily to a variety of inhaled materials, such as pollutants, germs, dust and cigarette smoke. AAT helps the body fight against the damage caused by these pollutants. The estimated 1 in 2,500 Australians with a deficiency of AAT have too low a level to protect the lungs from the damaging enzymes produced by the body in reaction to the pollutants. This puts them at greater risk of developing COPD.

Smoking
COPD most often occurs in people aged 40 and over with a history of smoking. This includes people who currently smoke and people who have quit. Smoking is the most common cause of COPD1.

In mild COPD, your only symptom may be the need to cough up mucus each morning. Some symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing or coughing up mucus may only occur during winter or after a cold. You may also feel a little more puffed and out of breath than you used to, if you exert yourself or walk quickly.

In moderate COPD, you are likely to notice symptoms almost every day. You may:

cough more, and cough up mucus
often feel very puffed or out of breath if you exert yourself or walk quickly
have trouble working or doing chores because you get out of breath
take several weeks to recover from a cold or chest infection

Spriometry is a type of lung function testing. Lung function tests provide an easy way of measuring the function of the lungs without the need to physically examine the lungs themselves. Lung function or breathing tests are important investigations which:

Help diagnose suspected lung disease;
Help in planning treatments and decide whether treatments should be continued, changed, or are no longer needed

Air flows in and out of your lungs through thousands of small air passages called
bronchial tubes. When you have COPD, these tubes become narrower, making it harder
to breathe. Medicine can help your tubes to work better, opening them up and making
breathing easier.

With COPD, your lungs become larger than normal, so the breathing muscles around the outside of the lungs (e.g. the diaphragm and chest wall muscles) become stretched and have to work harder. This means that there is more effort involved in breathing and it makes you feel breathless. These muscles help you take deep breaths to get plenty of oxygen. With COPD you can only take smaller breaths.

With COPD, your lungs become larger than normal, so the breathing muscles around the outside of the lungs (e.g. the diaphragm and chest wall muscles) become stretched and have to work harder. This means that there is more effort involved in breathing and it makes you feel breathless. These muscles help you take deep breaths to get plenty of oxygen. With COPD you can only take smaller breaths.