Ask someone to squeeze you tightly around your mid-section. Now try breathing only through your mouth and through a thin straw. Imagine breathing like that all the time. That’s what COPD- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – feels like. COPD is the fourth-leading cause of death in the US after heart disease, cancer and stroke, and it is the only major disease with an increasing death rate.
Pennsylvania has the sixth-highest death rate in the U.S. for COPD.
Pittsburgh area internal medicine physician and Pennsylvania Medical Society member Anthony Spinola, MD, explains this debilitating disease. “COPD includes a group of diseases that affect the lungs, block airflow, and make it hard to breathe. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema are the two most common conditions associated with COPD, but the term also can refer to lung damage caused by chronic asthmatic bronchitis.”
Dr. Spinola adds that COPD is most often caused by smoking or repeated exposure to lung irritants like second-hand smoke, harsh chemicals, or excessive dust. In some cases, it can be attributed to a genetic weakness or predisposition.
He also notes that the rise in COPD cases and related deaths is due in part to better diagnosis.
“In-office spirometry, a test that measures how much and how quickly you can move air out of your lungs, has helped us diagnose COPD earlier. If a patient with chronic bronchitis or a smoker presents with coughing and wheezing, we can test in our office for obstructed air flow. If we feel there’s an issue, then we can order further testing.”
Other symptoms of COPD include episodes of increased shortness of breath, a chronic cough that produces yellow sputum, and frequent respiratory infections or chest tightness. Unfortunately, symptoms often don’t appear until significant damage has occurred.
“When considering a diagnosis of COPD, we look at symptoms, medical history, family history, test results, and whether or not the patient smokes,” adds Dr. Spinola. Besides in-office spirometry, tests may include a lung function test (which measures how much air you can breathe in and out), chest X-ray or CT scan, or an arterial blood gas test (measures the oxygen level in your blood).