COPD

COPD is a long-term lung disease that makes breathing increasingly difficult, most often caused by smoking or long-term smoke/pollution exposure. It can't be reversed but stopping smoking, inhalers and pulmonary rehab slow it and ease symptoms.

Symptoms

  • Persistent cough, often with phlegm
  • Breathlessness, worse on exertion
  • Wheezing
  • Frequent chest infections

When to see a doctor

  • Ongoing cough or breathlessness
  • Sudden worsening (a flare-up)
  • Coughing blood (urgent)

FAQs

Is COPD the same as asthma?

No. Both narrow the airways, but asthma is usually reversible and often allergy-related, while COPD is long-term damage, usually from smoking, that is only partly reversible.