Clinical FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is COPD?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is an umbrella term for two
respiratory illnesses chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema. There are 16 million
Americans who have been diagnosed with COPD, of whom 14 million have chronic bronchitis
and 2 million have emphysema.
COPD results primarily from smoking tobacco. Years of smoking
cause damage to the airways in the lungs. This lung damage continues to progress with the
use of tobacco. Average current and former smokers will likely not notice or acknowledge
symptoms for several years. Typically, they will begin noticing the first symptoms of
shortness of breath when they reach their 40s. However, earlier signs of COPD are often
present. These include chronic cough and increased mucus production. Recognizing these
early signs is important because lifestyle modifications, such as smoking cessation and
avoiding respiratory irritants, can be made to prevent additional damage to the airways.
In technical terms, COPD is a slowly progressive
disease that is characterized by a decrease in the ability of the lungs to maintain the
body's oxygen supply and remove carbon dioxide. As a result of this decrease in lung
function, COPD patients alter their lifestyles because they become short of breath after
minimal exertion. For example, instead of climbing a flight of stairs COPD patients take
the elevator. Physical activities also take longer to complete. Lawn mowing that a COPD
patient might have finished in 40 minutes only a year ago may now take an hour to do.
What is Asthma?
Asthma is a common disease that occurs in the airways of the lungs known as the
bronchial tubes. Normally when a person breathes in and out, the muscles surrounding these
airways are relaxed, allowing air to move freely. But when a person has asthma, allergens,
environmental triggers, or infections cause these muscles to tighten up, making it more
difficult for air to move freely in and out of the airways and causing shortness of breath
and a whistling or wheezing sound. This tightening, which is linked to persistent
inflammation in the airways, is called bronchospasm. In some cases the airways
can become swollen or filled with mucus as well, making breathing even more difficult.
About 12 to 15 million Americans are affected by
asthma. Many people first have signs of the disease in childhood, but its important
to note asthma can occur for the first time at any age. Particularly vulnerable are those
with a family history of asthma or those with a history of allergies or exposure to
tobacco smoke. Some people also have a form of the disease known as exercise-induced
asthma, which is triggered by strenuous physical activity.
is Childhood Asthma?
Like adults with asthma, children with the disease experience a tightening of the
muscles in the airways known as bronchial tubes. This tightening, or bronchospasm, makes
it more difficult for air to flow in and out of the lungs, producing the characteristic
wheezing or whistling sound common in asthma and making breathing more difficult. People
with asthma generally always have inflammation in their airways which contributes to this
tightening. The tightening of the airways, however, usually occurs as a result of some
sort of trigger. These triggers range from allergens and environmental exposures to
exercise and infections. Strong emotions can also trigger an asthma attack in children,
but this occurs much more infrequently than people have believed. The important thing for
parents to remember is, asthma is in the airways, not in the head.
Although asthma can occur for the first time at any
age, many people with the condition developed it first as children. In fact, asthma is the
most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting around 10 percent to 12 percent of all
children in the United States. Most kids who develop the disease begin to have symptoms by
age five, but symptoms can arise later in childhood as well.
What puts a child at particular risk for asthma?
Studies have shown having a family history of the disease is a good predictor of whether a
child will develop asthma, and most children with asthmaup to 80 percentalso
suffer from significant allergies. Inner city children, who are more likely to be exposed
to allergens and irritants associated with asthma, such as cockroaches and secondhand
tobacco smoke, are especially prone to the condition, with some estimates suggesting as
many as 35 percent to 40 percent of these children have the disease. Also at higher risk
are children whose mothers smoked while they were pregnant or who were born with lower
Can children outgrowth their asthma? The answer to
that question is, sometimes. While most children with asthma will always have sensitive
airways, about half will see a significant lessening of their symptoms as they move into
adolescence. Among this group, however, about half will see their asthma return, often
when they are in their 30s and 40s.
us with questions or
comments about this web site.