One of the saddest facts about COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is that a patient can be suffering with it, but deliberately ignoring the symptoms. According to the National Institute of Health, many people think that the major symptoms to of COPD are merely part of the aging process.
This phenomenon has occurred because most cases of COPD are diagnosed after a patient is forty years of age.Statistics show that only 10 to 20 per cent of the COPD patients are younger than forty. This leads many patients to deny symptoms of the illness and assume they are just getting older.
Take Our Mini-Quiz! Answer the following four questions to discover if you, or some one you love, might be at risk for COPD:
1. The Cough: Do you have a constant, nagging cough? Many patients ascribe the early coughing of COPD to a harmless “smoker’s cough.” It is a fact that people often ignore this strong symptom until it is almost too late for help.
2. The Complaint: Do you experience shortness of breath during your normal physical activities? There is nothing normal about shortness of breath.
Unfortunately, this symptom leads to a reduction in physical activity which is unhealthy in itself.
The gardener retires her little shovel or the avid biker stores away his beloved bike. They blame the activities and their chronological age for their shortness of breath instead of a checking the cause with their doctor.
3. The Wheeze: Do you have whistling or squeaking when you breathe? This is a COPD danger sign and should not be ignored. Of course this, as well as the other symptoms, can be indicative of other conditions, but it certainly is not normal.
4. The Gasp: Do you feel like you are unable to take a slow deep, full breath? This sets up a cycle of shallow breathing, an unhealthy habit.
As you were answering these four questions, you were learning the four warning signs of COPD. We stress again that these four signs are NOT simply qualities of the ordinary course of aging. If you identify these four COPD symptoms consistently, we urge you to discuss the them with your physician.
Florida Lung Doctors hope that you will not allow your mind to delude your body into giving up your favorite activities by assuming you are just getting old.
It is important to remember that simple tests such as those offered at the Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialists, will relieve your mind or lead to early diagnosis. COPD can not be cured, but it can be treated and managed with medicine and therapies. Now you know; help the Florida Lung Doctors and The American Lung Association to spread the word!
