Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ( COPD ) is a slow progressing annihilation of airways due to continuing loss of lung function. It’s a mixture of numerous lung diseases. In COPD, two lung diseases, namely protracted bronchitis and emphysema are the key diseases. Other diseases like asthmatic bronchitis and bullous illness are also present. This disease is commonplace amongst the older women in America. On a whole, about 11% of the U.S. population is afflicted with COPD. According to researches, it kills 85,000 people in the USA every year and it's the 4th prime cause of death.

Smoking is the major cause of COPD. Passive smoking can also lead directly to COPD. The consequences of smoking on the lungs can be grim and permanent. Smoking causes irreversible damage to the lung tissues and causes inflammation of the lungs. This inflammation stops only when the smoking is stopped. The ciggie producing companies add some chemicals to cigarettes for varied reasons that block the production of alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), which maintain the elastic fibers of the alveoli. This in turn destroys the walls of the lungs, which makes the process of breathing terribly difficult.

Other causes that lead on to COPD are business pollution, occupational dusts, continuous contact with unsafe chemicals, outdoors air pollution, etc. In some cases mums and dads pass on the genes to their youngsters. In some some cases, COPD is present in folk suffering from a gene-related disorder called alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency. Alpha 1 antitrypsin is a protein that inactivates the destructive proteins in the blood. The absence or the low level of alpha 1 antitrypsin in these folk leads to the destruction of lungs and finally to COPD.

As the illness intensifies, the patients suffering from COPD will find it difficult to breathe. Their difficulty may change according to the changing weather. They sometimes need hospitalization.

Prevention is the best medication for COPD. There isn't any cure. All of the medications for COPD are directed towards reducing the power of the illness. Therefore it is wiser for everyone to take the relevant steps to stop this illness.

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