Living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (“COPD”) can make it difficult to enjoy life.
The National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute, a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services defines COPD as a serious lung disease that, over time, makes it difficult to breathe. With COPD, the airways or tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs of those with COPD become partially blocked. As COPD becomes more severe it can make breathing very difficult while performing even daily tasks such as light housekeeping and going for a walk.
You may also have heard COPD called other names, like emphysema or chronic bronchitis. Emphysema is when a permanent enlargement of the airways in the lungs is accompanied by the destruction of the walls of the alveoli, the tiny air spaces in the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged during the breathing process. Chronic bronchitis appears as an inflammation, irritation or blockage in the bronchioles, which are attached to the windpipe or trachea. Often times emphysema and chronic bronchitis co-exist.
For more ways to live with COPD or for more information, please contact the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute by calling, 301-592-8573. You may also visit their web site, Learn more about COPD
