COPD

[melb26sa]

Good morning,

I found this forum searching for all info on COPD - my husband has been diagnosed with this (I will post exact diagnosis tomorrow) and he is only 25! Never smoked in his life, does get short of breath on occasion but it's not life-threatening. Fit, not fat, works out regularly and only in the past 2-3 months did we start noticing his shortness of breath - all came after his sinus problems for which he was prescribed antibiotics but it didn't really help too much.

He spent 3,5 yrs with me in Bosnia and never had a problem there - we moved back to the States 14 months ago and area where we live in has a major oil refinery so you can smell the different air. Could this be the cause of it?

He is now on an inhaler but is only today about to start using it.

What can we expect and is this the right diagnosis?

[Davy9]

COPD is a catch all term that describes a number of lung problems all with the singular characteristic of obstructing airflow on exhalation. Asthma is typically the one that occurs in younger people. Asthma is characterized by airways that are inflamed and spastic allowing air into the lungs on inhalation then shutting down during exhalation trapping that air and keeping some or all of it from being exhaled. Then with the next breath there is less room for new air, and so forth. It can be caused by external factors like allergies, cold air or noxious airborne fumes. It can be caused from internal factors like stress. Asthma can be very acute and can be lethal. Asthma can completely go away or it can simmer at some level for a lifetime. The treatment is to reverse the inflammation and relax the bronchial muscle spasms while avoiding any known factors which will make the problem worse. Usually these medications are administered topically using aerosols (like your inhaler) but they can also be administered with pills, intramuscularly or intravenously. In the worst case of acuity temporary life support would be instituted while the acuity is treated.

There is a rare genetically inherited form of emphysema (another type of COPD) which can present in younger people called alpha one anti-trypsin deficiency. This can be very serious but the earlier it is diagnosed the better. The age of 25 would be very young for this process to be clinically manifested.

Keep in mind also that the lungs often become involved in a range of systemic diseases and that this may not be just a lung problem but a symptom of a larger situation.

Do not assume the worst. Get as much detailed information as you can and keep asking questions until the diagnosis and the treatment plan (and it goals) are clear. Feel free to inquire here.