What Is COPD?  [ Return to  About Oxygen Therapy  ]

Common medications used to treat COPD are:

• Bronchodilators ( relievers ): Bronchodilators work by relaxing the smooth muscles around the airways, allowing for improved airflow.
• Anti-inflammatories ( preventers ): These medications reduce inflammation in the airways.
• Antibiotics ( for infections ): Antibiotics kill bacteria and are used if an infection is suspected.

Other treatments include the use of supplemental oxygen, proper nutrition, and rehabilitation programs.

Notice: All medical and therapeutic information and advice contained on this website is necessarily general in nature and may not be appropriate to your particular condition. Consequently, we caution all our readers that the information and advice contained on this website should be acted or relied upon only after consultation with your physician or health care professional.

Chronic Bronchitis involves a chronic inflammation, cough and increased mucous production, which causes narrowing of the airways. The system of tiny hairs that clean mucous from the lungs become damaged, allowing secretions to remain in the airways. The narrowing and obstruction of the airways decreases the flow of air into and out of your lungs.

Emphysema is caused by damage to the small sacs ( alveoli ) in the lungs and the destruction of their walls. The lungs lose their elasticity and air becomes trapped in the lungs. The destruction of the sacs causes the lungs to become less efficient at exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide with the blood.

COPD ( Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ) is a disease that includes both chronic bronchitis and emphysema. You can have one or the other, but often a combination of these diseases exists and may lead to a decrease in blood oxygen levels, causing shortness of breath.