How might a COPD exacerbation affect my father's prognosis?
Ask the doctor
Q. My father's doctor recently diagnosed him with a COPD exacerbation. What is this and how does it affect his prognosis?
A. Lung cancer is the most recognized severe health condition caused by smoking. Indeed, it is the leading cause of cancer death.
But another smoking-related disease causes more disability, more days in the hospital, and almost as many deaths as lung cancer. The disease is COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
COPD includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. More than 80% of people with COPD are current or former smokers. Most are over age 40.
The main features of COPD are
- less flow of air into and out of the lungs
- permanent damage to the lungs and bronchial tubes
- symptoms that usually get worse over time.
Many people with COPD also go through flare-ups. Doctors call them COPD exacerbations. Typical symptoms of a flare-up include:
- increased coughing
- change in the color of coughed-up mucus
- increased shortness of breath
- fatigue
- wheezing.
Compared with COPD patients who have few or no flare-ups, those with frequent flare-ups
- lose lung function at a faster rate
- score lower on quality-of-life measures
- die sooner.
Flare-ups happen because the lungs' airways get infected, inflamed, or both.
If your father has COPD and still smokes, he must quit now. Quitting smoking is the only chance he has to prevent the disease from getting worse.
Drugs for COPD cannot slow down the eventual decline in lung function. However, they can allow people to breathe a little easier, with less coughing. They also help prevent COPD flare-ups.
Commonly used drugs for COPD help people in different ways:
- Corticosteroid inhalers reduce inflammation.
- Beta-agonist inhalers improve air flow by relaxing the airways. Some inhalers combine a long-acting beta-agonist with a corticosteroid.
- Anticholinergic inhalers also improve air flow. They have a different way of relaxing bronchial tubes.
Image: © Fabio Camandona/Getty Images
About the Author
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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