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| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to a number of | ||||||||||||||||||
| chronic lung disorders. It is characterized by persistent, progressive | ||||||||||||||||||
| airflow obstruction and dyspnea | ||||||||||||||||||
| The disease is degenerative......... causes irreversible lung damage....... | ||||||||||||||||||
| and it has no cure. | ||||||||||||||||||
| COPD encompasses emphysema, alpha antritrypsin deficiency-related | ||||||||||||||||||
| (AAT) emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. Nearly 16 million Americans | ||||||||||||||||||
| suffer from COPD, which is the fourth leading cause of death, claiming | ||||||||||||||||||
| the lives of 87,000 Americans annually. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chronic bronchitis: A long-standing inflammation of the breathing | ||||||||||||||||||
| tubes (airways) that are called bronchi. The airways in the lungs | ||||||||||||||||||
| become narrow and partly clogged with mucus. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Emphysema: A chronic pulmonary disease in which the air spaces | ||||||||||||||||||
| (alveoli) are enlarged and destroyed. The elasticity of the lung is | ||||||||||||||||||
| lost and air gets "trapped" in the lung, which causes a decrease in | ||||||||||||||||||
| respiratory function and breathlessness. | ||||||||||||||||||
| COPD gets gradually worse over time. At first there may be only a | ||||||||||||||||||
| mild shortness of breath and occasional coughing. Then a chronic | ||||||||||||||||||
| cough develops with clear, colorless sputum. As the disease | ||||||||||||||||||
| progresses, the amount of oxygen in the blood decreases and carbon | ||||||||||||||||||
| dioxide increases. The cough becomes more frequent and more and | ||||||||||||||||||
| more effort is needed to get air into and out of the lungs. | ||||||||||||||||||
| The quality of life for a person suffering from emphysema diminishes | ||||||||||||||||||
| as the disease progresses. Eventually, there is severe shortness of | ||||||||||||||||||
| breath often leading to the total dependency on the administration of | ||||||||||||||||||
| oxygen around the clock. | ||||||||||||||||||
| In later stages of the disease, the heart may be affected. Death occurs | ||||||||||||||||||
| when the function of the lungs and heart is no longer adequate to | ||||||||||||||||||
| deliver oxygen to the body's organs and tissues. | ||||||||||||||||||
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hronic..........(continual,
permanent, incurable) 
bstructive....(blocks)
ulmonary.....(pertaining to the
lungs)
isease..........(condition with
signs and symptoms) 
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Persons looking for guidance among the target sources of this |
collection of links are strongly advised to review the information |
retrieved with their professional health care provider. |
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