Healthy Living Newsletter
COPD A Matter of Life & Breath
 Once you admit that your daily cough is a “smoker’s cough” you’re part of the way toward a solution.
A persistent cough, or even a recurring one, is never normal and usually a sign of an inflammatory disorder known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking is the number one cause of COPD. And the first and most obvious step toward dealing with the disease is to quit smoking.
COPD involves chronic inflammation of the lungs and remodeling of the small airways, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.
COPD is now the fourth leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease, cancer and stroke; and it causes considerable disability.
About 12 million Americans have been diagnosed with COPD, and another 12 million are believed to have impaired lung function, without knowing they have a progressive disease.
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchi or medium-sized airways of the lungs, and coughing is the body’s reaction in an effort to keep those airways clean and capable of delivering oxygen to the cells of the body.
When coughing occurs for several days or even several weeks at a time as part of a viral infection such as a cold, there’s nothing to worry about. Once the infection clears, the cough disappears.
When coughing persists, it’s a sign that something else is causing the inflammation. And in five of six cases, smoking is the cause. Other causes of chronic bronchitis include air pollution, industrial or chemical fumes and a hereditary deficiency of an enzyme — alpha-1-antitrypsin.
Eventually, the inflammation and coughing damage the cilia or tiny hairlike projections inside the airways that trap and eliminate foreign matter. When these cilia become damaged, the result is a buildup of mucus, which clogs air passages and causes the heavy smoker’s cough. If you cough up sputum most days of the week for a three-month period, and the condition continues for two consecutive years, you have chronic bronchitis.
Gradual but Relentless
The other major manifestation of COPD is emphysema, which involves progressive damage to the lungs related to chronic bronchitis as well as to the chemicals in cigarette smoke.
Emphysema involves destruction of tissue and loss of elasticity in the alveoli, tiny air sacs deep within the lungs, that are responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide from the blood. As these sacs become unable to deliver sufficient oxygen to the blood, a person experiences shortness of breath and inability to exercise or manage even routine daily activities. The cough associated with emphysema is a dry one, but no less destructive.
The process is gradual but relentless. One day, you’re complaining about the smoker’s cough; several years later, you’re unable to get up a flight of stairs without stopping to catch your breath.
It’s never too early to take action about a smoker’s cough. In fact, it’s now known that chronic inflammation and COPD can occur even without the signs of bronchitis or emphysema. And the disorder sometimes develops in individuals who quit smoking years earlier.
The effects of COPD cannot be reversed, but not smoking can stop the damage, improve your symptoms and give you more stamina.
It is estimated by the St. Clair County Health Department, in their recently published Community Health Assessment Profile, that 27.1 percent of area residents smoke; that surpasses both the national (20.6 percent) and state (22 percent) averages.
The best thing to do to avoid COPD is to quit smoking today. You can try over-the-counter products, but it is estimated that only about eight percent of smokers are capable of quitting with will power alone. The best thing to do is speak to your doctor to develop a plan that’s right for you.
If you’re looking for a physician near you, visit the Find a Physician section of this website.
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