![]() ![]() At these outpatient exercise and education programs, physical therapists, dietitians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals will share breathing techniques, coping strategies, nutritional advice, and exercise recommendations. ![]() It gives people living with COPD the tools they need to manage their condition, reducing the severity of symptoms and improving their quality of life. In addition to your medications, pulmonary rehabilitation is another common component of treatment for stage 2 COPD. Techniques like pursed lip breathing and coordinated breathing can help you exert yourself less during physical activities and maintain an active lifestyle. Your doctor may prescribe a bronchodilator medication if they haven’t already, along with recommending breathing exercises. This is often the stage where you may first become aware of symptoms and seek treatment. Other symptoms include wheezing, fatigue, and trouble sleeping. Shortness of breath during physical activities is more noticeable, and coughing and mucus production may increase. In this stage, previously existing symptoms from stage 1 intensify as airflow limitations progress. You should also stay up to date with yearly flu shots and pneumonia vaccines to avoid worsening of respiratory symptoms and other health complications. If you experience severe side effects like blurry vision, a rapid or irregular heart rate, or an allergic reaction with a rash or swelling, contact your healthcare provider. Common side effects include dry mouth, dizziness, tremors, runny nose, and throat irritation. In addition to smoking cessation, your doctor may also prescribe a bronchodilator medication, which relaxes airway muscles to ease breathing and is typically taken through an inhaler. And if you currently smoke, try to quit as soon as possible to protect your lungs. If you have any concerns that you may have COPD, speak with your doctor about an assessment. Though stage 1 COPD symptoms are easy to miss, damage to the lungs still occurs. However, these symptoms are so mild that you may not realize you are experiencing them. The main symptoms of stage 1 COPD are shortness of breath and an ongoing cough, which may be accompanied with mucus. Read on to learn more about the stages of COPD, including the symptoms and treatment options for each stage. But while there is no cure for the condition, it is treatable: you can slow the progression by working with your doctor to establish a treatment plan and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits like avoiding cigarette smoke, exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, and getting your yearly flu shot. They will also consider the severity of your symptoms and the frequency of flare-ups.Īs a progressive lung disease, COPD symptoms gradually become more severe over time, and people with COPD also grow increasingly susceptible to complications such as heart problems, pulmonary hypertension, and lung cancer. Your physician will determine your stage based on results from a breathing test called a spirometry, which assesses lung function by measuring how much air you can breathe in and out and how quickly and easily you can exhale. There are four distinct stages of COPD: mild, moderate, severe, and very severe. Doctors use a system called the GOLD Criteria to determine how severe each person’s COPD is. and affects more than 15 million Americans.ĭetecting COPD early on is critical to slowing the progression of the disease and avoiding serious complications. It’s the third leading cause of death in the U.S. While COPD is caused by smoking 85-90% of the time, exposure to secondhand smoke, air pollution, and industrial dust and fumes also contributes to cases. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD) is a progressive and long-term inflammatory lung condition characterized by a persistent cough and shortness of breath. ![]()
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