Misunderstandings about COPD (I)

What are the symptoms of COPD?

What to do if you have COPD

COPD is a chronic disease caused primarily by smoking, air pollution and other factors that leads to airway obstruction and decreased lung function.

Three major features

"Slow" means chronic . This is a chronic disease that exists for a long time. The symptoms appear slowly, develop gradually, and become more and more serious. It is a chronic disease like hypertension and diabetes. If you don't pay attention to it, it may not be discovered until it is very serious.

Blockage, airway obstruction , the passage for inhaling air, that is, the trachea and bronchi, is blocked, causing difficulty breathing, manifesting as shortness of breath, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. Some people may feel a whistling or whistling sound in the trachea when breathing.

This means that the main affected airway is the lung , but it is not limited to a group of diseases in the lung, including the bronchi and alveoli of the lung. Some people show symptoms of bronchitis , some have bullae , and even complications such as cor pulmonale and heart failure occur.

In response to the problem that many people are unaware of, do not pay attention to, and have misunderstandings about COPD, we will launch a series of popular science tweets on Ten Questions and Ten Answers about COPD to let people know about this disease, strengthen their understanding of the disease, and promote the health of all people.

The following situations require hospital examination

Chronic cough, with or without sputum production

Recurrent lower respiratory tract infections

Recurring wheezing

Dyspnea that gets worse over time, especially with exertion.

Risk factors: smoking; living in air-polluted areas; kitchen fuel fumes; occupational dust; exposure to toxic and harmful gas particles, etc.