Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD for short, is a common disease characterized by continuous airflow limitation that can be prevented and treated. Airflow limitation progresses progressively. It is associated with airway and lung toxic particles or The gas''s chronic inflammatory response is related to increased. It is a gradual life-threatening lung disease that causes difficulty breathing and is more likely to deteriorate and cause serious illness.

What are the causes of COPD?

　　External causes include smoking, inhalation of dust and chemicals, air pollution, respiratory infections, and unhygienic or unsafe environmental impacts. And its main factor is exposure to tobacco smoke (active smoking or secondhand smoke).

　　Internal causes include genetic factors, increased airway responsiveness, individuals with lung development or poor growth due to various reasons during pregnancy, neonatal period, infancy or childhood, frequent lower respiratory tract in childhood Infection is also one of the risk factors.

　　Chronic bronchitis-emphysema-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the most common clinical disease with poor prognosis.

What are the hazards of COPD?

　　As lung function damage gradually worsens, COPD patients often develop chronic respiratory failure, which further causes arterial hypertension and chronic pulmonary origin Heart disease, manifested by cyanosis of the lips, intermittent lower extremity edema, etc. Patients with severe COPD are also susceptible to pneumothorax and pulmonary embolism, and are often accompanied by physical fatigue, weight loss, etc., and various organs of the body have different degrees of damage.

　　Because of the progressive decline in lung function, the patient’s labor and quality of life are severely affected. The heavy social and economic burden caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has become an important public health problem. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has seriously affected the growth rate of the world economy.

　　How to prevent COPD?

　　COPD is a common respiratory disease with a high prevalence and mortality rate. Quitting smoking is a simple, effective and most important measure to prevent COPD. At any stage of the disease, quitting smoking helps prevent the occurrence and development of COPD. Controlling occupational and environmental pollution, and actively preventing respiratory infections in newborns and young children can control the incidence of COPD.

The main symptoms of COPD

　　chronic cough and sputum

　　chronic cough and sputum is the first symptom and can continue to exist with the course of the disease. Cough is obvious in the morning and there is a lot of sputum. At night there is a cough or sputum. The sputum is mostly white sticky sputum or white foam sputum, and occasionally bloodshot. The amount of sputum increases during the acute attack, and there may be purulent sputum.

　　 COPD can develop from acute tracheobronchitis without delay. Acute tracheobronchitis also has symptoms of coughing and phlegm, but the course of the disease is short, usually recovering within 2-3 weeks.