Glossary of COPD Terms.
Definitions for some of the COPD terms you'll find on this site.
Airways: Tubes that carry air into and out of the lungs.
Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT): (Also called alpha-1 protease inhibitor.) A protein produced by the liver that helps protect the liver and lungs from damaging enzymes. An AAT deficiency occurs as a result of an inherited gene mutation. A lack of AAT can lead to lung damage and liver disease.
Alveoli: Tiny air sacs of the lungs, organized in clusters, that are the site of oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange. The thin walls of the alveoli are dense with minute blood vessels called capillaries; inhaled oxygen diffuses from the alveoli through the capillary walls into the bloodstream, and CO2 moves from the bloodstream into the alveoli to be exhaled.
Antibiotic: Medication used to treat infection caused by bacteria. Antibiotics do not protect against viruses and do not prevent the common cold.
Anticholinergics: A kind of inhaled medicine used to treat COPD that works by blocking the action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine on certain receptors in the brain. This relaxes and helps open the airways in the lungs. Anticholinergics used to treat COPD can be either short- or long-acting.
Asthma: A respiratory condition caused by episodic narrowing of the airways in response to a trigger. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and labored breathing.
Beta-2 agonists: (also called beta-agonists.) A type of medicine for COPD that is given by an inhaler or nebulizer, or taken orally.
Bronchodilators: A medicine taken to open the airways. Inhaled therapy is preferred and most common and comes in short- and long-acting forms.
Chronic bronchitis: Long-duration, frequently recurring inflammation of the airways sometimes causing breathlessness. Cough and sputum production are key features.
Chronic coughing: This is one of the first symptoms of COPD. It may start intermittently but then usually progresses to every day. The cough may be productive (bringing up mucus) or nonproductive, depending on the individual.
Cilia: Microscopic hair-like structures that line the airways in the lungs and help to clean out the airways.
Closed-mouth technique: A method for inhaling medicine from a metered dose inhaler. The open-mouth technique is the preferred method.
Controlled coughing: A technique in which the cough comes from deep within the lungs and has just enough force to loosen and carry mucus through the airways without causing them to narrow and collapse. Controlled coughing saves energy and oxygen.
COPD: Also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It's a chronic lung condition that gets worse over time. It includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both.
Corticosteroids: A drug that mimics the action of hormones produced by adrenal glands, and is taken to help control swelling or inflammation in the lung airways. Corticosteroids are normally inhaled or taken orally.
Diaphragm: A muscle at the base of the lungs that helps you breathe.
Dyspnea: Shortness of breath.
Edema: Swelling due to excess fluid in body tissue. Edema is most common in the ankles, feet, or legs.
Emphysema: Chronic lung disease in which there is permanent damage to the walls of the tiny air sacs at the end of airways (alveoli).
Exacerbations: A sudden (acute) worsening of COPD symptoms beyond normal day-to-day variations. COPD exacerbations are often caused by a bacterial or viral infection or are triggered by exposure to pollutants. In some cases the cause of an exacerbation cannot be identified. In more severe cases of COPD, exacerbations may result in hospitalization.
Functional assessment: Functional assessment tools help to measure outcomes in individuals with COPD. Assessment of lower extremity function, for example, might include the 6-Minute Walk Test, to see how far an individual can walk in 6 minutes, and the Short Physical Performance Battery, which uses tasks that imitate activities of daily life.
Hypoxia: Too little oxygen in the body.
Hypoxemia: An abnormally low amount of oxygen in the blood. This condition can prompt the need for oxygen therapy.
Inhaler: A way to take medicine that you breathe in.
Inflammation: A swelling response; in the case of COPD, the bronchioles and bronchi become inflamed (swollen), which leads to airflow obstruction and shortness of breath.
Maintenance medicines: (Also known as daily management medicines) Long-acting medications that help to manage COPD symptoms and open airways. Daily management medicines are taken every day and their effects usually last from 12 to 24 hours. These medications include long-acting bronchodilators such as anticholinergics, and long-acting bronchodilator/corticosteroid combinations.
Mucus: A thick fluid produced by the lining of some organs of the body.
Nebulizer: A way to take liquid medicine by breathing it in. The liquid is made into a vapor so it can be breathed in.
Nicotine replacement: Provides nicotine in the form of chewing gum, lozenges, sprays, or as patches placed on the skin. Used to help wean the body off cigarettes by allowing the user to focus on kicking the behavioral addiction first, without the added difficulty of physical withdrawal symptoms.
Occupational therapist: A specially trained therapist who helps patients perform tasks involved in work and daily life.
Oxygen therapy: Severe COPD sometimes results in hypoxemia, or low levels of oxygen in the blood. Oxygen therapy delivers oxygen to hypoxemic individuals via a face mask or through nose tubes called nasal cannulae. Regular (long-term) oxygen therapy is usually 12 hours a day or more. Controlled (short-term) oxygen therapy is often used to treat COPD exacerbations.
Physical addiction: With physical addiction to a drug, changes occur in the user's brain, making the "reward" pathways of the brain dependent on the continued use of the drug. The flip side of this is that when the user is deprived of the drug, physiological withdrawal symptoms occur.
Pneumonia: An infection of the alveoli (small air sacs of the lungs) and the surrounding tissue. Symptoms may include a productive cough, chills, fever, and chest pain. It can be caused by bacteria, virus, fungus, or parasite, and sometimes results from another infection (e.g., pneumonia caused by the chicken pox or flu virus). Individuals with a weakened immune system or preexisting chronic illness (like COPD) are at greater risk for severe pneumonia, which can be life-threatening.
Pollutants: Environmental contamination that can trigger a COPD exacerbation, indoor or outdoor. Everyday pollutants include tobacco smoke, dust, automotive exhaust, cleaning products, and industrial fumes.
Progressive: Increasing in severity over time.
Pulmonary: Pertaining to the lungs.
Pulmonary fibrosis: A serious lung disease characterized by scarring (fibrosis) of the tissue between the alveoli. The scar tissue stiffens the lungs, making it difficult to breathe, and the lung damage may lead to severe complications such as hypoxemia (low levels of oxygen in the blood), high blood pressure in the lungs, and respiratory failure. The cause of pulmonary fibrosis is not always known.
Pulmonary hypertension: A lung disorder characterized by abnormally high pressure in the arteries of the lungs. Pulmonary hypertension can be caused by COPD.
Pulmonary rehabilitation: A program that can help you learn how to breathe better and improve your quality of life. It includes treatment, exercise training, education, and counseling.
Pulse oximetry: This test measures how much oxygen is in your blood. The test is easy and the result is a percentage. The doctor will put a sensor on your finger or ear and a light will be used to measure the oxygen content in your blood. The result of this test may show you need oxygen therapy.
Pursed lip breathing: A method of breathing through pursed lips (as if you were blowing on a whistle) to improve breathing patterns.
Rescue medicines: Short-acting medications used to treat sudden-onset breathing symptoms of COPD and asthma. The effects of these medications last about 4 to 6 hours. They include beta-2 agonists.
Respiratory infections: Respiratory infections — bacterial, viral, or fungal — contribute to the development and progression of COPD and can trigger exacerbations. Common respiratory infections include sinusitis, pneumonia, the common cold (rhinovirus), and influenza ("the flu").
Respiratory therapist: A healthcare professional who specializes in assessment, treatment, and education for people with lung diseases.
Sinusitis: Inflammation of the sinuses (the cavities/spaces around the nasal passages). Sinusitis can be caused by a bacteria, virus, fungus, or allergy. The inflammation results in mucus buildup and usually manifests as nasal congestion. Other symptoms include headache, cough, and nasal discharge. Acute sinusitis is often caused by the common cold; sinusitis is defined as chronic if it lasts for eight weeks or more or recurs intermittently.
Smoking triggers: Situations or circumstances that prompt a smoker to light up a cigarette. Triggers can range from morning coffee to work stress, from the evening commute to talking on the phone.
Spirometry: A test of airflow and lung volume. This test is taken to diagnose and stage COPD.
Sputum: Mucus that is loose in the lungs. It may be coughed up.
Symptom: Any indication of disease noticed or felt by a patient; in contrast, a sign of an illness is an objective observation.
Tuberculosis: Tuberculosis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that usually affects the lungs. Despite the development of anti-tuberculosis antibiotics in the mid-twentieth century, the disease continues to be a major worldwide health problem. Tuberculosis is spread by airborne transmission — coughing or sneezing. When tuberculosis infects the lungs (pulmonary tuberculosis), the primary symptom is a cough. Other symptoms include cold sweats, general malaise, and weight loss.
Wheezing: High-pitched whistling sound of air entering or leaving narrowed airways.
