Treatment Options and Self Care

Although there is no cure for COPD, debilitating symptoms can often be reduced. Many patients with COPD have some degree of reversible airways obstruction. Most importantly, know that the disease can be prevented in most cases. Cigarette smoking is the most important cause of COPD, so if you smoke, quit. Quitting smoking slows the progression of the disease.

• Elevate the head of your bed by installing the Sleepcliner™. Patients with severe lung damage benefit from sleeping with head and chest elevated because they can't breathe comfortably when they lie down.
  
  For purchase information about the Sleepcliner™ click here.
  
  For more information about the Sleepcliner™ click here.

 

• Stop smoking and avoid exposure to all second hand smoke.

 

• Avoid exposure to other airborne irritants besides smoke.

 

• Follow a healthy diet and maintain a healthy body weight.

 

• Clear your airways. To keep secretions thin and easy to cough up, drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids every day.

 

• Protect yourself from cold air.

 

• Consider a support group.

 

• Ask your doctor about an exercise program called pulmonary rehabilitation that can help improve breathing.

 

• Take medications as prescribed by your physician. These may include bronchodilator medicines, which relax the muscles around the airways, and anti-inflammatories or corticosteroids which can soothe the lining of the air passageways.

 

• In some cases, surgery may be needed to improve a patient's breathing ability.

 

• Talk with your doctor about getting vaccinated against flu or pneumonia.

 

• See your physician at the first sign of a cold or respiratory infection.

See your doctor if you develop symptoms. Blood tests will be performed to measure the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood. A chest x-ray will also be performed.

Survival of patients with emphysema is closely related to the effectiveness of their lung function at the time they are diagnosed and the rate at which their lung function deteriorates.

About the Condition

Chronic bronchitis and emphysema together are also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They create an ongoing blockage of air flow into and out of the lungs that becomes progressively worse. Over 15 million American suffer from COPD, a majority of cases caused by smoking. The prevalence of and death rate from COPD are increasing.

The main symptoms of chronic bronchitis and emphysema are coughing up phlegm and shortness of breath, which are often ignored until the diseases are in an advanced state. If these conditions have been untreated, often by the time they see a physician, serious damage has been done to their lungs. Such patients are more susceptible to developing other serious conditions such as pneumonia, pulmonary hypertension or heart failure.

Chronic Bronchitis is inflammation of the lining of the bronchial airways of the lungs. It differs from acute bronchitis which lasts a few days and results from infection. Chronic bronchitis is characterized by the recurring presence of a phlegm-producing cough. Smoking is the most common cause.

Emphysema can occur with or without the presence of chronic bronchitis. In emphysema, the walls between the air sacs are damaged, creating larger, but fewer air sacs. These larger air sacs limit the effectiveness of the lungs as they have less surface area for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The tissues of the lungs lose their resilience where they cannot absorb as much oxygen nor release as much carbon dioxide.

Symptoms of emphysema include loss of breath during exertion. As the disease advances the feeling of breathlessness occurs with just a few steps and will advance to a point where oxygen will be required even when at rest. Smoking is the most common cause of emphysema.

For purchase information about the Sleepcliner™ click here.

For more information about the Sleepcliner™ click here.