Smoking leads to numerous respiratory health conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and it’s a dangerous and annoying illness that might cause irreversible lung damage.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

COPD includes several health conditions, the most significant are chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Chronic bronchitis (the tubes that transfer air to the lungs) causes the mucus to build up in the lining, which leads to narrowing the tube’s opening with time, causing difficulty in getting air into and out of the lungs.

Emphysema occurs due to damage to the alveoli (tiny air bags at the end of the bronchi inside the lungs, and they’re responsible for transferring oxygen to the blood and taking carbon dioxide from it), which leads to breathing difficulties.

COPD is divided into several stages:

• Mild COPD: the disease causes feeling out of breath with mild activities, such as walking up stairs.
• Moderate to severe COPD: shortness of breath becomes more frequent even with daily activities.
• Very severe COPD: shortness of breath occurs with doing almost anything.

Causes and risk factors leading to COPD

• The main cause of COPD is smoking, and it’s responsible for about 90% of cases.
• In about 1% of cases, COPD occurs due to an enzyme deficiency, and it’s an inherited condition.

The risk factors include the following:

• Secondhand smoking.
• Asthma.
• Breathing dust and chemicals at work.
• Air pollution.

Symptoms of COPD

• Continuous coughing with sputum.
• Difficulty having a full breath.
• Shortness of breath with mild activity or daily activities.
• Wheezing.
• Chest tightness.
• Tiredness and lack of energy.
• Swelling in the ankles, legs, or feet.
• Frequent respiratory infections.
• Unintentional weight loss in later stages.

Complications of COPD

• Respiratory infections like pneumonia.
• Lung cancer.
• Heart problems.
• High blood pressure in the lung arteries.
• Depression.

Diagnosis of COPD

• Medical history.
• Physical examination.
• Lung function examination.
• Imaging tests.
• Lab tests to exclude other conditions.

Management of COPD

The disease is reversible if it didn’t cause lung damage, but if it did, the disease becomes irreversible, and the treatment is limited to managing and alleviating the symptoms as much as possible. The treatment includes the following:

• Quit smoking.
• Some medications, like bronchodilators and others.
• Some severe cases might require oxygen therapy.
• In severe cases that didn’t respond to any treatment, surgery to remove the damaged lung part or a lung transplant might be an option.

Prevention of COPD

• Avoid smoking and secondhand smoking.
• Avoid places with dust and polluted air, like construction sites.
• Clean your house.
• Follow a healthy lifestyle.