The Doctor Is In

Managing lung disease

by Frederic “Eric” D. Seifer, MD, FCCP

Go smoke-free to ease COPD

Chronic diseases like COPD have no quick fixes, no magic pills, no instant cures. One doctor’s visit or a single hospital stay can’t erase the consequences of years of smoking and poor lifestyle choices.

The good news is you can manage COPD by making some lifestyle changes to improve your symptoms and quality of life. Erlanger North Pulmonary Disease Management specializes in helping individuals manage COPD and take charge of their health by providing emotional, physical, and spiritual support.

The first step in dealing with any of these chronic diseases is to quit smoking. The medical staff at Erlanger North Pulmonary Disease Management works closely with each patient, helping identify obstacles that prevented the patient from quitting in the past and developing the right recipe for future success. Tools to quit smoking may include brand switching to low-nicotine cigarettes, medications, and nicotine therapy such as lozenges, gums, sprays, or inhalers.

Breathing seems like a simple thing: Air goes in, air goes out.

For most people, there's nothing hard about taking a breath. But breathing isn’t always easy for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.

The term COPD describes two related lung disorders: chronic bronchitis and emphysema. If you have one or both of these conditions, you have COPD – one of the leading causes of death in the United States.

With bronchitis, the walls of the passages that carry air to your lungs become swollen and scarred. Emphysema destroys the sacs in the lungs that release air.

COPD makes it more difficult to breathe because your air passages get smaller and your air sacs cannot empty. Your airways may also become clogged with mucus, which comes up when you cough.

Risk factors Most people with COPD are current or former smokers. Smoking causes up to 90 percent of all cases of the disease.

But smoking is not COPD's only risk factor. Secondhand smoke, air pollution, heredity, and a history of respiratory infections also increase your chances of getting the disease. So does long-term exposure to certain chemical fumes, vapors, and dusts. Age plays a factor, too. COPD tends to affect older adults more often than younger ones.

Symptoms COPD usually occurs gradually. Early on, some symptoms may be easy to discount. But if you have symptoms, bring them to your doctor’s attention – especially if you’re a current or former smoker. Symptoms include:

Coughing that lasts more than a month or brings up mucus
Shortness of breath, especially with physical activity
Wheezing
Chest tightness
Frequent clearing of the throat.

Testing To diagnose COPD, your doctor will conduct a spirometry test to measure how well your lungs are working. With this easy, painless test, you breathe hard into a disposable plastic tube connected to a spirometer, a machine that measures how much air your lungs can hold and how fast you can blow air from your lungs. Other lung tests as well as blood tests and chest x-rays might also be performed.

After a diagnosis Although there is no cure for COPD, early detection is important so you can take steps to keep COPD from progressing. Getting flu and pneumonia vaccinations, for instance, may lessen your chances of contracting these illnesses and experiencing any lingering complications that may worsen COPD.

The most important thing you can do for your lungs is to quit smoking. Make sure the air in your home is clean and free of smoke and fumes. Follow your doctor's advice about prescribed medications, which may include bronchodilators to help open airways, inhaled steroids to reduce inflammation in lungs and airways, or antibiotics to fight bacterial infections that make COPD worse.

Some people may need pulmonary rehabilitation, including education, nutrition advice, exercise training, breathing exercises, and counseling from healthcare professionals to learn how to cope with the disease. Others with advanced COPD may require oxygen, a lung transplant, or surgery to remove sections of damaged lung tissue.

Frederic “Eric” D. Seifer, MD, FCCP, pulmonologist, practices with Erlanger North Pulmonary Disease Management. He is the Medical Director of the Erlanger Center for Better Health on the Erlanger North Campus. For more information, call Erlanger’s physician referral line at 423-778-LINK(5465).