Living with COPD

While there is no cure for COPD, it can be managed and treated to help keep it under control, prevent exacerbations, and slow or prevent progression.^1,2 Important things you can do include quitting smoking, avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke or harmful work/environmental substances, staying up to date with vaccinations, following your treatment plan, using good inhaler technique, and regularly seeing your healthcare provider.^1,2 Additionally, incorporating lifestyle changes centered on physical activity and nutrition can help you stay active and improve quality of life.¹

Recognizing how you feel on a “good” day, when your COPD is under control, can help you recognize when you have a flare up (exacerbation), which is a sudden worsening of breathing symptoms that may last ≥ 2 days.^2,3 Exacerbations can be caused by triggers such as smoke and air pollution, exposure to strong odors, dust, chemicals and fumes, weather, pollen, and respiratory infections.³ Severity can be characterized as mild, moderate or severe, based on whether one or more symptoms of worsening shortness of breath, increased mucus volume and thick yellow/green mucus are present.² Mild exacerbations can be managed at home, however, moderate and severe ones should be managed in the hospital.² Exacerbations may also result in respiratory failure.² Common signs of COPD exacerbation can include³