Patient education: Lowering your risk of COPD (The Basics)

What is COPD? — COPD stands for "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." It is a lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. In people with COPD, the airways (the branching tubes that carry air within the lungs) become narrow and can be clogged with mucus (figure 1). The air sacs can also become damaged. This makes people feel short of breath and tired.

You might have heard COPD called "chronic bronchitis" or "emphysema." These are types of COPD.

Am I at risk for COPD? — Certain things increase your risk of COPD. These include:

●Smoking – This is the most common cause of COPD.

●Breathing in harmful fumes, gases, or polluted air over time

●Long-standing asthma or allergies

●Childhood lung infections or HIV

●A genetic problem – This is rare.

What can I do to lower my risk of getting COPD? — You can:

●Quit smoking, if you smoke – This is the most important thing you can do to lower your risk of COPD. Even if you have already smoked for a long time, quitting can still help prevent more lung damage. If you are having trouble quitting, your doctor or nurse can help.

●Try to avoid breathing in fumes, gases, and other things that can irritate the lungs – This includes "vaping," smoking marijuana, and breathing "secondhand" smoke from other people's smoking. If you are around fumes in your workplace, there might be ways to lower your exposure. For example, it might help to wear protective gear or improve ventilation (air flow) in the area. It might also help to use an exhaust fan in your kitchen when cooking.

●Get regular physical activity – This helps strengthen the muscles that help you breathe. It can improve breathing symptoms, and might even help slow down lung damage in people who smoke. Even gentle forms of exercise, like walking or gardening, are good for your health. But quitting smoking is still the best way to lower your risk of COPD.

What can I do if I already have COPD? — Once you have COPD, it cannot be cured, and can get worse over time. But there are things you can do to take care of yourself:

●Follow your doctor's instructions – Make sure that you know how and when to use your medicines. It's also important to know what to do if your symptoms suddenly get worse.

●Avoid smoking – Even if you already have COPD, quitting smoking is still the most important thing that you can do for your health. This is true no matter how long you have smoked or how much you smoke.

●Avoid triggers – If things like fumes, pollution, or dust make your breathing worse, try to avoid them. Some people also find that their breathing is worse in very cold or hot and humid weather. If you notice this, try to stay indoors in those situations.

●Lower your risk of infection – Certain infections can be very hard on your lungs. This can cause COPD symptoms to flare up. You can lower your risk by getting certain vaccines. These include vaccines to protect against the flu, pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus ("RSV"), and COVID-19. Also, wash your hands often and stay away from people who are sick.

●Make healthy lifestyle changes – Eating a healthy diet can help improve your health. You can also improve your health by following your exercise plan or finding other ways to move your body.

More on this topic

Patient education: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (The Basics)
Patient education: Quitting smoking (The Basics)
Patient education: Exercise and movement (The Basics)
Patient education: Lowering the risk of spreading infection (The Basics)
Patient education: Vaccines for adults (The Basics)
Patient education: Diet and health (The Basics)

Patient education: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Quitting smoking (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Exercise (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Vaccines for adults (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Diet and health (Beyond the Basics)