Breathing Easier: COPD Symptoms and Treatment

By: Juan Fernandez Castillo, MD

While millions of people live with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), many don’t realize they have it until it reaches an advanced stage. With symptoms like chronic cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue often dismissed as signs of aging or lingering colds, COPD tends to slip under the radar. This leaves patients vulnerable to worsening health and missed opportunities for early intervention.

COPD is a chronic condition that prevents airflow in the lungs, leading to breathing difficulties that can get worse over time. It’s one of the top three leading causes of death worldwide. While there’s no cure, if the condition is caught early, we can slow the progression of the disease and help patients manage their symptoms, so they don’t interfere with their daily lives and prevent them from doing activities they enjoy.

Here’s what to look out for, what to do if you notice symptoms, and possible treatment options if the disease progresses.

Early symptoms
Many people are unaware they have lung disease in its early stages. Common symptoms include a persistent cough, ongoing mucus production, chronic chest congestion, and difficulty exercising.

Who’s at risk
One of the major and common causes of COPD is smoking. The longer you smoke, the higher your risk of developing a chronic lung condition like COPD. The earlier you stop smoking, the higher your chances of survival with the disease.

Other risk factors include prolonged exposure to fumes, which sometimes occurs through work. Family history and genetics can also play a factor in some cases.

When to seek care
If you notice a lingering cough or symptoms that are not improving, you should see your primary care or family doctor.

If they suspect any lung problems, they can perform a spirometry test, a simple exam that helps diagnose lung conditions by measuring how much air you can breathe out in one forced breath.

If you’re diagnosed with COPD or other lung conditions, your doctor may prescribe an inhaler in order to decrease your symptoms. It’s important to see your doctor for regular check-ups so they can monitor your symptoms and lungs, and work with you to prevent the disease from progressing.

What to do if you have COPD
When you have COPD, whether it’s in its early or progressed stages, you want to limit flare-ups that can lead to trouble breathing and the need for a hospital stay. The key is to avoid triggers that can cause breathing problems.

It’s also important to avoid people who’re sick, always wash and sanitize your hands, and stay current on vaccinations. With lung disease, a cold, virus, or the flu can hit you harder than others, leading you to get sicker and need to go to the hospital for treatment.

Pulmonary rehabilitation
When you have lung disease, it may be hard to be active or exercise, and many people worry about doing it safely.

During pulmonary rehabilitation, you train and exercise with expert therapists who monitor your lungs, help you build up your stamina, and improve your overall health. They can also advise on breathing techniques that help to minimize flare-ups that can land you in the hospital.

Advanced treatment options
As a lung transplant specialist at Miami Transplant Institute, I also want to stress that while the goal is to catch lung disease early and manage it so it doesn’t become a chronic concern, we do have options for people whose disease has progressed to the point where it’s unbearable, causing them to need oxygen and daily support.

In these cases, a lung transplant is an option. Recently, lung transplant eligibility guidelines have changed, making it easier for older patients to be considered for a transplant. Our team are experts in caring for people with chronic and progressing lung diseases, including COPD, and is experienced in not only qualifying someone for a lung transplant, but also helping some patients become candidates for the procedure through rehabilitation and medical optimization.

Transplants save and transform lives. Every day, I see patients who once suffered from COPD and are now free from debilitating symptoms, allowing them to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

Juan Fernandez Castillo, MD, is a transplant pulmonologist and intensivist at The Lung Center at Jackson Health System and Miami Transplant Institute – an affiliation between Jackson and UHealth – University of Miami Health System.