COPD

Breathe California of Los Angeles County (BREATHE LA) Center for Healthy Lungs and UCLA are conducting a lung health research project and are seeking subjects who suffer from mild COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ):

Fewer COPD Deaths With Advair Than With Spiriva Treatment

A recent study published in the January 2008 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine showed COPD patients treated with Advair or Spiriva had the same rate of COPD attacks, but Advair patients were only half as likely to die.

Does that mean Advair is the best treatment? Read more to find out.

Lung disease doesn't need to interfere with adult intimacy. For older adults living with COPD, coping with shortness of breath is a way of life. But shortness of breath does not have to get in the way of a fulfilling love life. Here are some suggestions for coping with shortness of breath during sex.

Environmental factors can affect those with lung diseases and respiratory conditions.

Lung irritation triggers

• Air pollution
• Pollen
• Smoke from seasonal wildfires
• Smoking
• Exposure to second-hand smoke

In California, and in other warm and tropical locations, increased warmth leads to more blooming and this can make it even more difficult for COPD and Asthma patients to breathe.

What is Emphysema?

Emphysema is a serious disease that affects the lungs. While symptoms may appear rapidly and quickly become severe, the disease itself develops over a long period of time.

When a person is suffering from emphysema, the tiny air sacs (called alveoli) in the lungs are damaged and lose their ability to stretch. This allows air to become trapped in the lungs, making it difficult to exchange with new air. This makes it hard to breathe and can lead to a host of lung problems as well as death.

What is COPD?

COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and is the leading cause of disability and the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, killing 117,000 people annually. COPD is a classification of lung diseases, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, that make breathing extremely difficult. In patients with COPD, the airways of the lungs thicken, close and may also fill with mucus, thus reducing air flow. COPD can lead to weakness, exhaustion, loss of body weight, and heart failure.

Coughing doesn't bother Margaret Nield. Perhaps that's why she has devoted her professional life to caring for patients with COPD.

COPD is most often characterized by shortness of breath and a persistent cough. Those over the age of 40 with a history of smoking are particularly at risk, however 1 in 6 people with COPD have never smoked. COPD is the number four cause of death in the United States, it cannot be cured, but it can be treated.

National Jewish Medical & Research Center
www.nationaljewish.org -- (800) 222-5864

MEDLINE plus
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus

Alpha-1 Association
www.alpha1.org -- (800) 521-3025

Emphysema Foundation For Our Right to Survive (EFFORTS)
www.emphysema.net/index.html

The National Emphysema Foundation (NEF)
www.emphysemafoundation.org

Cancer Care
www.cancercare.org

Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis
www.coalitionforpf.org

COPD International
www.copd-international.com

Chronic Lung Disease Resource – Cheshire Medical Center

Many Americans, particularly the millions of people without health insurance, are concerned about their healthcare costs. We have joined together to provide immediate help while policymakers and key opinion leaders work to resolve the larger issue of health coverage for the uninsured. We're committed to being part of the solution and believe the Together Rx Access Program is a step in that direction.

A British study concluded that senior citizens with COPD ( Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) who use inhaled corticosteriods are at higher risk for bone fractures. The study followed over 1,600 patients over the age of 75 for an average of nine years. All of the patients had asthma, COPD, or both and all used inhaled corticosteriods as treatment for airway inflammation. Of those studied, 118 suffered a fracture during the study period while only 69 of a control group not taking corticosteriods had a fracture.