COPD or Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a disease that has no cure. The most common cause of COPD is smoking cigarettes. COPD can lead to lethal diseases such as Lung Cancer. It is very important that if you are a smoker that you watch for the early warning signs. When this disease is caught early your doctor can assist you in controlling it.
COPD is caused when the respiratory system is damaged. The body creates symptoms as it tries to compensate for the disease. Anyone who has been smoking for a long time is at high risk to develop COPD. The most obvious symptom of COPD is persistent coughing, also the chest begins to become barrel shaped.
Those who suffer with COPD often produce sputum when they cough. The sputum is often clear, white or yellowish in color. In severe cases the sputum may also contain small amounts of blood. COPD causes shortness of breath. Most sufferers do not notice this symptom until it very progressed. This is because people assume that their lack of breath is due to lack of exercise.
When breathing a person who suffers from COPD may hear a wheezing sound in their chest. This caused by the air passing through the lungs. This is because the airways have been partially blocked. Rapid weight loss is also a sign of COPD, because the lung has to expend more calories to do simple tasks.
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