How Is It Diagnosed?
If you begin to experience any of the symptoms of COPD, you should make an appointment with your doctor to discuss them and have yourself evaluated. Your doctor will likely ask you about your lifestyle habits, including smoking, your family history, and will use a stethoscope to check for unusual lung sounds. You may be asked to undergo one of several tests to confirm a diagnosis of COPD.
The most common test ordered by doctors is a lung function test called spirometry, where you will be asked to take in a deep breath, then blow as hard as possible into a tube that’s connected to a spirometer, a machine that measures the volume of air that you exhaled. Chest X-rays and computed tomography (CT) scans are also useful in giving doctors a detailed picture of the lungs, which can help show signs of COPD and rule out other conditions, such as congestive heart failure, which can present similar symptoms.
Some patients may have to undergo another procedure, called an arterial blood gas test, which measures the oxygen levels in the blood based on a sample drawn from an artery, most often in the wrist.
What Is The Prognosis?
COPD is a disease which progresses slowly, but can lead to major disability. Because it restricts your body’s ability to transfer oxygen to the tissues, it can prevent you from performing basic daily responsibilities, including walking, cooking and cleaning, and bathing and caring for oneself.
There is no cure for COPD, and currently, there are no treatments that can reverse the damage that has been done to the tissues in the lungs. However, the National Institutes of Health outlines several health and lifestyle changes that may help ease symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. Among them:
- If you smoke, quit. If you have difficulty doing this on your own, talk to your doctor about cessation options and consider joining a support group.