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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis - diseases that are characterized by blockage of air flow. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis frequently coexist, thus physicians prefer the term COPD. It is estimated that 11% of the U.S. population has COPD and incidence is increasing. Chronic Bronchitis is an inflammation with eventual scarring of the lining of the bronchial tubes. An estimated 8.8 million people were diagnosed with chronic bronchitis in 1999. Females tend to have higher rates of chronic bronchitis than males.
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 Chronic Cough
Increased Mucus
Frequent clearing of the throat
Shortness of breath
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Emphysema is a chronic lung disease that affects the alveoli (air sacs) and/or the ends of the smallest bronchi (breathing tubes). The lung loses its elasticity (similar to an overused rubber band), and therefore becomes enlarged. These enlarged areas trap "stale" air and do not effectively exchange it with fresh air. In some cases, the patients also have difficulty getting rid of a waste gas called carbon dioxide. Emphysema is a disease that “marks time.” When the cause is removed (like smoking) the damage to the lungs ceases. The lungs can then “clean themselves out” to an extent.
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An estimated 2.8 million Americans have been diagnosed with emphysema sometime in their life, 58 percent are male and 42 percent are female.
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Cough
Shortness of breath
Limited exercise tolerance
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