COPD and Lung Damage

I'm guessing that once the awareness of your diagnosis of COPD set in, you started to wonder what could be done about it. Is the disease curable? Could the lung damage causing my symptoms be reversible with the right lifestyle and treatment? Will my condition improve? Or, is all hope lost and I'll just keep getting sicker and sicker until COPD takes me out?

The answer to all those questions is a "good news, bad news" situation. Most people like to hear the bad news first, so I'll start with that.

There is no cure for COPD

At this writing, the experts on COPD agree - there is no known cure.^1,2 And once you have it, the damage already done to your lungs cannot be reversed. In other words, you can't change time. What's done is done.

Even if you stop smoking the minute you get the diagnosis of COPD, take the medicine your doctor gives you, and do everything else right, you'll still have COPD and your lung damage won't get better.

Good news

There are a couple of pieces of good news, though. First of all, according to 2017 data from the Centers for Disease Control (most current available), COPD is the 3rd leading cause of illness-related death.³ It affects as many as 16 million Americans, with probably as many who have not yet been diagnosed.²

Why is that good news? The sheer number of people affected by COPD in our nation (and around the world) means that there is a powerful incentive to find a cure or at least more effective treatments. The simple truth is that not only are people dying from chronic lung disease, it's also a huge drain on our health care system and medical costs worldwide. So researchers are motivated to look for cures and ways to reverse lung damage.

Lung damage starts earlier than expected

In fact, a small study reported in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal last year suggests that the lung damage from COPD actually starts much earlier than we had previously thought.⁵ It begins even before people start having noticeable symptoms. One of the lead researchers, Dr. Tillie-Louise Hackett, associate professor at the University of British Columbia's faculty of medicine, and her team found that even those who had only mild COPD may have already lost up to 40% of their small airways.

Why is this important? This information is crucial because previously, medical experts believed the absence of COPD symptoms meant there was little to no lung damage yet. Thus, very little or no treatment was offered.⁵ Opportunities to prevent further damage may have been missed.

What happens in the lungs with COPD?

Your airways terminate in tiny air sacs called alveoli. In healthy lungs, these air sacs are elastic and stretchy, allowing the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen. But with COPD:²

• Your airways and air sacs lose their elasticity
• The walls between many of the air sacs become thick and inflamed and are eventually destroyed
• Your airways produce more mucus than normal and can become clogged

The result of all those changes are the symptoms that come with COPD, namely, shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing and fatigue.

Your COPD outlook can be improved

Although there is currently no cure for COPD and any lung damage you already have cannot be reversed, here's the best news of all. Getting a diagnosis of COPD doesn't have to mean that your prognosis is grim. Making changes today can prevent further damage for years to come and help you continue to live an active, vibrant life of quality.

The fact is, there is a lot that can be done for people with COPD.⁶ Those actions start with you. If you smoke, make a plan to quit today. Get help if you need it. Quitting smoking is hard, but it's the single best thing you can do for your future quality of life. Eating healthy, staying active, and doing your best to avoid respiratory infections like the flu and pneumonia are also important.

COPD is treatable

COPD is treatable, especially when diagnosed early, and there are many options to help you feel better if you're having symptoms. Your doctor can tailor medications to your specific needs. Pulmonary rehabilitation can help you learn to live with your disease and any limitations. Supplemental oxygen can be helpful in some cases.

COPD is preventable

Here's another piece of good news: COPD can be prevented. The best way to prevent it is to never start smoking. Or, if it's too late for that, quit at your first opportunity and encourage everyone you know to do the same.

Early intervention is also key. If you have any suspicion that you may be at risk for COPD, talk with your doctor. Don't delay, because the earlier you know what you're dealing with, the sooner actions can be taken that can prevent further lung damage.

Hopefully, in time, research will result in a cure for COPD. But until then, never lose hope. There is always something that can be done to improve your quality of life.