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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease of the airways and lungs that usually occurs in cigarette smokers. People with COPD get short of breath. Damage to the lungs and symptoms slowly worsen over time. Spirometry is a breathing test that can diagnose COPD on the basis of a measurement called FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second), which estimates the amount of air that a person exhales in 1 second compared with that of a typical healthy person of the same age and size. A person with a FEV1 of 60% exhales about 60% the amount that a typical healthy person the same age and size exhales in 1 second.
Doctors treat COPD with drugs that widen the airways of the lungs (beta-agonist or anticholinergic drugs) and drugs that decrease inflammation (corticosteroids). These drugs come in inhalers that allow patients to breathe in the drugs. Oxygen therapy can help some people with COPD. Pulmonary rehabilitation, which involves patient education and exercise, is another COPD treatment.
From the National Library of Medicine
This interactive tutorial explains what COPD is, how it is diagnosed, and how it is treated.
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