Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Overview

COPD Diagnosis

To diagnose COPD, a doctor will review the signs and symptoms, discuss family and medical history, and any possible exposure to irritants. Many tests may be ordered to diagnose COPD. One of the most common tests is the pulmonary function test, which detects how much air the lungs can hold and how quickly they can breathe it out. Some other tests include chest x-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans, and an arterial blood gas analysis, which measures how well the lungs supply oxygen to the blood and remove carbon dioxide.

Treatment And Prevention

The first step to treating and preventing COPD is to immediately quit smoking, which is also the only way to keep COPD from worsening. Many medications treat the symptoms of COPD such as bronchodilator inhalers, steroid inhalers, combination inhalers, oral steroids, and antibiotics.

Some other forms of treatment include oxygen therapy and pulmonary rehabilitation programs. Oxygen therapy may be needed if the patient does not have enough oxygen in their blood. Most people will only need oxygen supplements while they are physically active or while sleeping. Pulmonary rehabilitation programs combine exercise, nutrition advice and counseling with specialists to increase the overall quality of life. If COPD gets severe, and cannot be treated with medications, surgery may be an option.