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Serious severity
· MD Medicine
COPD
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease · Smoker's lung
Long-term smoke exposure scars airways and lung sacs, causing breathlessness that gets worse over years. Quitting smoke is the only thing that changes the trajectory.
At a glance
- Prevalence
- Major killer in smokers
- Typical age
- Over 40, smokers / biomass cooks
- Outlook
- Manageable, progressive
- System
- Lungs
Reviewed by a verified MD Medicine doctor
What causes it
Causes
- Smoking (number one)
- Biomass cooking fires
- Air pollution
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
- Occupational dust
How it feels
Symptoms & effects
- Chronic cough with sputum
- Progressive breathlessness
- Wheeze, chest tightness
- Frequent chest infections
- Weight loss in late disease
How it’s treated
Treatment & cure
- LABA + LAMA inhalers
- Inhaled steroid in eosinophilic
- Pulmonary rehabilitation
- Long-term oxygen if severe
- Annual flu + pneumonia vaccines
Staying ahead
Prevention
- Don't start smoking
- Switch to clean cooking fuel
- Workplace dust protection
- Treat asthma in childhood
Do’s
- Quit smoking on day one
- Use chimney / LPG, not biomass
- Take inhalers correctly with spacer
- Exercise within breathlessness
Don’ts
- Smoke 'just one'
- Stop preventer inhalers
- Skip flu and pneumonia vaccines
- Use oxygen near open flames
See a doctor immediately if
Symptoms are sudden or severe, getting worse despite home care, or interfering with sleep, work or daily life. Don’t self-diagnose from the internet — book a verified clinician below.
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Disclaimer ·
This article is educational and reviewed by clinicians, but it cannot replace an in-person assessment.
Medication doses, prevention advice and treatment choices vary by person. Always confirm with a doctor before acting on anything here.