This post was coauthored by Jane Martin, RT and Kristen Szymonik BS, RRT, AE-C
Last week we talked about how the lungs are supposed to work and what goes wrong when you have COPD. We learned that COPD may affect the condition of your bronchial airways (breathing tubes), your alveoli (air sacs), the elastic, stretchy quality of your lungs, and the use of your breathing muscles. Clearly, a lot of different things may be going on, and that's why COPD is not a "one-size-fits-all" disease.
Spirometry
It's important to have your lung function tested by doing spirometry (the short version of a lung function test) or a complete lung function test (we'll talk more about test next week). A spirometry test measures how much air you can get in and out of your lungs. One number on a spirometry test is the FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second). This measures the amount of air you can blow out in the first second of a long, hard exhalation.
Here is an example that we use here at the COPD Foundation to explain the importance of the FEV1 test:
"Three people, John, Sue, and Dave, all have a FEV1 of 35%. You might think they are all impacted by COPD in the same way. But actually, their ability to do physical activities, their tendency to have COPD exacerbations (flare-ups), and even their blood oxygen level may be very different. The goal of COPD management is to help all three of them make the most of their lung function, no matter what the numbers are." For more on this example go to: COPD Stages | GOLD Criteria | COPD Foundation
Comorbidities
If you have another health chronic condition (comorbidity) in addition to COPD, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, heartburn, depression, obesity, arthritis, diabetes, or something else, this can also affect your COPD and how it is managed. For example, if you are overweight with a big belly, it can push up on your diaphragm, your main muscle of breathing that works best when it can pull down on the bottoms of your lungs. Arthritis may prevent a person from doing some forms of exercise or using some medication devices that may help fight COPD. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) may make it more likely for a person with COPD to have an exacerbation.[i]
Cough
Here on the Check in earlier this year we talked about cough, and how it can affect people in different ways. For examples, go to: Check in - What Does your Cough Say About your COPD? (copdfoundation.org)
Lung volume
If your lungs are not as stretchy and elastic as they should be, this can result in having too much air in your lungs. If so, they may be stretched out throughout the whole lung or just in certain places. For some people it is possible to decrease the amount of extra, unused air in the lungs so there is more room for healthy lung tissue to move. It's also possible to take out some of the big, stretched out places in the lungs. But, just like some other COPD treatments, these don't work for everybody.
These are just a few of the many things that can affect people with COPD in different ways. Keep this in mind as you and your health care provider decide how to treat and manage your COPD - based on your situation, your symptoms, and the total picture of you. Let's talk! I look forward to hearing from you!
After this week I'll be taking some time off, but I'll be back here with you in August. Take good care and I will see you then!
[i] Lee AL, Goldstein RS. Gastroesophageal reflux disease in COPD: links and risks. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2015 Sep 14;10:1935-49. doi: 10.2147/COPD.S77562. PMID: 26392769; PMCID: PMC4574848.