How to treat the two types of COPD: Type A: Emphysema and Type B: Chronic Bronchitis?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung condition that makes breathing difficult. It includes conditions like emphysema and chronic bronchitis. In emphysema, the walls lining the alveoli are damaged and they are merged from many tiny sacs into a single giant sac. It causes a deficiency in the absorption of oxygen, so less oxygen is transported in the blood. It leads to loss of elasticity of the lungs. In chronic bronchitis, the hair-like cilia lining the bronchial tubes are damaged which makes it difficult to get rid of the mucus. The common symptoms of COPD include continuous cough with lots of mucus, shortness of breath, wheezing, pressure in the chest, blue fingernails, swollen ankles, and feet, etc. Exposure to air pollutants and secondhand smoke, exposure to chemicals, dust, and fumes, a genetic condition leading to alpha-1 deficiency, history of childhood respiratory illness, etc are the risk factors of COPD. A chest X-ray can confirm emphysema and rule out other causes of shortness of breath. A Computerized tomography scan or a CT scan is used to view the cross-sectional area of the lungs. Spirometry is the simple lung function test that is used to detect COPD.
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