Are you coughing repeatedly and experiencing shortness of breath? If your lungs are pushing out sputum, you might have the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Causes and Symptoms of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
COPD is caused by the constriction of airways in the lungs. This obstruction in the lungs causes symptoms such as breathlessness, severe coughing, asthma, and increased mucus production which is pushed out by the lungs in the form of sputum.
Sputum production is one of the main symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; the lungs try to recover by sending out the excessive mucus that obstructs the airway passages.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is mostly caused by smoking. However, certain other conditions such as chronic bronchitis, asthma may also be the causes of COPD. The symptoms of chronic bronchitis may often lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, requiring immediate medical care and proper treatment.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Treatments
Common treatment options for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease include bronchodilators, inhalers, steroid inhalers, and other medications that help clear airways of the lungs and recover from breathing problems.
Treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease improves breathing, has fewer instances of worsening of symptoms, and helps the sufferers do other activities with increased comfort.
- Bronchodilators: Treatment with bronchodilators dilates airways in the lungs, thus opening the passages and helping chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment.
- Anti-inflammatory corticosteroids: Treatment by inhalation to control swelling and mucus production symptoms of COPD is usually carried out by giving corticosteroids or steroids as inhalation medicines. This treatment helps reduce the inflammation inside the lungs.
- Combination therapy: One of the top treatment options for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), combination therapy includes both bronchodilators and corticosteroids as inhalation medicines for COPD symptom treatment.
- Antibiotics: Antibiotic treatment is given to patients with COPD since they are prone to bacterial and viral infections. Antibiotic treatment reduces the frequency of symptom worsening.
- Vaccination: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease increases susceptibility to other infections such as influenza or flu. It is important that those under treatment for COPD symptoms are also vaccinated once a year to prevent influenza viruses.
Various treatment options for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease help alleviate the symptoms. In different people, these treatments work differently. One treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may suit a particular person more, whereas other treatment may work better for others.
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