Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a term that is used to describe a mixture of lung conditions. These conditions include:
- Chronic bronchitis which is a narrowing of the airway.
- Emphysema which is due to damage to the delicate alveoli (air sacs).
- A mix of chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
However, people will have different symptoms and experiences of living with the condition because:
- People with COPD can have mild to very severe disease.
- Some people may experience mild symptoms which has little impact on their daily life.
- Other people may have severe symptoms which affect or limit aspects of daily life.
- It is possible to have severe disease but experience very few symptoms.
- Though most people will have a mix of both conditions others may have only one condition. For example, some people may have emphysema only or chronic bronchitis only.
Common symptoms of COPD include:
- Breathlessness.
- Cough.
- Wheeze.
- Mucous production.
