COPD Gets Worse Over Time.
COPD is a progressive disease. As it worsens, you may find that you can do less and less. And when you cut back on activities, your muscles get weaker — including the ones you use for breathing. This then creates a cycle that can continue until you find that even simple things — like walking up stairs or getting dressed — are difficult to do.
COPD symptoms progress through four stages.
COPD stages gradually worsen from relatively mild symptoms to those that are more severe and debilitating.
- You sometimes have a chronic cough and mucus
- Your lung function is already abnormal but you are probably unaware of it
- You get short of breath with vigorous exercise or high-energy activities like climbing stairs
- You often have a chronic cough and mucus
- You may have a harder time getting over the flu or a cold
- Your symptoms may worsen at times (exacerbation), making you cut back on activities
- You get short of breath doing chores like vacuuming or carrying laundry
- You have a chronic cough most of the time, and cough up mucus
- You need several weeks to get over the flu or a cold
- Symptoms worsen at times (exacerbation), and may lead to hospitalization
- You are often tired and lack the energy for activities you enjoy
- You get short of breath doing low-energy activities like eating or showering
- You have a chronic cough all the time, and cough up a lot of mucus
- You have trouble breathing day and night and are unable to do activities you enjoy
- Your lungs are very fragile and the flu, colds, and exacerbations can be life threatening
- You may require oxygen therapy for day-to-day living
Exacerbations are a sudden worsening of symptoms.
What exactly is an exacerbation? It is when your symptoms suddenly worsen temporarily — for several days or several weeks — often due to a lung infection such as a cold, or exposure to pollutants. As COPD progresses, exacerbations can happen more often and become more serious.
Keep in mind, once you recover from an exacerbation, it is very important that you work to return to the level of activity you had before it happened. Otherwise this loss of fitness, known as deconditioning, may contribute to the progression of your disease.
If you rest, your COPD will get better.
REALITY: Actually, the opposite is true. Exercise is key to helping treat the symptoms of COPD. It can improve your circulation, build energy levels, and lessen your symptoms. Reducing your activity, however, will make your COPD get worse.
The diagnosis and determination of the stage of COPD that you have are confirmed by a test called spirometry.
