DISEASES EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
Worsening symptoms
Symptoms can get progressively worse and harder to ignore. As the lungs become more damaged, you may experience:
shortness of breath, after even mild forms of exercise like walking up a flight of stairs
wheezing, which is a type of higher-pitched noisy breathing, especially during exhalations
chest tightness
chronic cough, with or without mucus
need to clear mucus from your lungs every day
frequent colds, flu, or other respiratory infections
lack of energy
In later stages of COPD, symptoms may also include:
fatigue
swelling of the feet, ankles, or legs
weight loss
Symptoms are likely to be much worse if you currently smoke or are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.
What causes COPD?
Most people with COPD are at least 40 years old and have at least some history of smoking. The longer and more tobacco products you smoke, the greater your risk of COPD is.
In addition to cigarette smoke, cigar smoke, pipe smoke, and secondhand smoke can cause COPD. Your risk of COPD is even greater if you have asthma and smoke.
Other causes
You can also develop COPD if you’re exposed to chemicals and fumes in the workplace. Long-term exposure to air pollution and inhaling dust can also cause COPD.
In developing countries, along with tobacco smoke, homes are often poorly ventilated, forcing families to breathe fumes from burning fuel used for cooking and heating.
There may be a genetic predisposition to developing COPD. Up to an estimated 5 percentTrusted Source of people with COPD have a deficiency in a protein called alpha-1-antitrypsin.
This deficiency causes the lungs to deteriorate and also can affect the liver. There may be other associated genetic factors at play as well.