LYCOS RETRIEVER
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Airways
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Early in the disease patients will not complain of many symptoms. Productive cough may be limited to the morning hours, and shortness of breath may occur only during exertion. However, as airway obstruction progresses, episodes of dyspnea become more frequent and severe.6
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The main risk factor in making a diagnosis of COPD is smoking, which causes chronic inflammation of the main bronchi, thereby leading to airway obstruction. Other etiologies inculde alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency and idiopathic disease.
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Breathe easier if you have COPD, a disease that leaves you winded and worn out. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may help keep oxygen flowing freely through your airways:
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