copd

[angietaylor]

can people tell me more about copd please

What is it that you want to know?

The basic NHS page is here

The main risk factor is smoking, and how long for. So if you have been a lifelong smoker, it's quite likely that symptoms begin to appear around the time of the menopause - not because there's a causal link, but because each happens at about the same age.

Though of course, the vagaries of menopausal symptoms can mean you find it harder to deal with anything else your body throws at you at that time.

My mother had COPD. Back then it was called emphysema. She struggled with her breathing for about 3 or 4 years and was admitted to hospital with severe breathing difficulties on several occasions and more and more frequently. On her death certificate it stated chronic obstruction of the lungs.

She was a very heavy smoker.

COPD is horrible - for the sufferer and for people who care for them.

You've maybe got an average of 5 years if you don't quit smoking - breathlessness, weightloss, malnutrition, increased risk of chest infections and pneumonia on top. So the sooner a person stops the better.