COPD - A progressive disease
If you've been suffering from cough lasting several weeks that is accompanied by other symptoms, it is possible that it is a condition called Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Unlike common cough that goes away in a few days' time, COPD has cough that brings up mucus. Even moderate physical activity results in shortness of breath. More importantly, cough lasts at least a couple of months with intermittent severe bouts for over 2 successive years.
This prolonged cough varies in severity from time to time. Patients with COPD often experience bouts called flare-ups which are periods when all or many associated symptoms worsen. This is also referred to as COPD exacerbation. The two significant causes of COPD exacerbation are lung infections and air pollution. These periods may warrant immediate medical care to make adjustments to your medication schedule so that more serious breathing problems don't present.
Stages of COPD
Based on several tests, your physician will decide if you suffer from COPD and how severe your individual case is. Since symptoms of COPD may be similar to asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis and some other illnesses, doctors rely on lung function tests and spirometry tests to conclusively determine COPD in a patient.
Lung function tests measure the size of your lungs and how well your lungs can deliver oxygen to your blood.
Spirometry is a short non-invasive breathing test that measures how much air you can breathe in and out and how fast in a single second. In medical terminology, it is called FEV1 and stands for forced expiratory volume in 1 second. Doctors use a percentage scale to assess lung health and deterioration. Spirometers are used to record patient FEV1s.
The progressive stages of COPD are referred to as mild stage, moderate stage, severe stage and end stage.
Mild Stage COPD
This is the first stage of COPD when despite chronic cough that brings up mucus some patients may show lung function that is still in the normal percentile range on spirometry tests.
Moderate Stage COPD
Cough is now associated with mucus that may also change in its appearance, alternating yellow to greenish and thicken also. The FEV1 tests clearly show deterioration of the lung health. The patient now fails to register normal, healthy spirometry readings on lung performance. Occasional COPD exacerbations may be experienced by the patient. Shortness of breath is more pronounced especially with physical exertion or exercise.
Severe COPD
In this stage, airflow limitation is very marked and impedes not just demanding physical exertion like exercise but also normal physical activity. Loss of weight is also experienced by many sufferers of COPD. Medical attention is utmost necessary to keep symptoms manageable and continue to live an active life. The spirometry tests now show alarming loss of lung functionality and overall poor lung health. Mucus production is excessive. Flare-ups occur more frequently.
End stage COPD
While the primary symptoms of COPD such as shortness of breath, cough, mucus and weight-loss worsen rapidly, more troubling new ailments develop. Lung performance is at the lowest end of performance and poor respiratory function threatens heart failure. Edema, retention of fluid in the body may commence too.
