| Newsletter Fall 2007
Fall 2007 Articles
Living with COPD
Barbara Bergstrom started smoking after her first baby to lose those extra pounds that crept on during pregnancy. During her third pregnancy a dozen years later she developed a cough that just wouldn’t go away. At age 32, this young mother received shocking news from her doctor. She was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.
 “The lung and its airways behave much like an air balloon,” says Dr. Carolina See, a pulmonary specialist. “With COPD you lose the elasticity of your lungs. You have trouble taking a deep breath as the airways become swollen and filled with very thick mucus. The tiny air sacs called alveoli cannot empty air since they have lost their elasticity.”
COPD can include emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and in some cases can overlap with asthma. “Usually patients come with symptoms of cough and shortness of breath,” says Dr. See. “They might have a lot of phlegm when they get up in the morning. And since airways are colonized with bacteria, they are very prone to having pneumonia frequently.”
COPD’s prevalence has been rising steadily, due largely to the fact that people are living longer and developing the disease as they age. But it is also rising in younger people and women, like Barbara Bergstrom, who are experiencing the long-term ravages of smoking even years after they quit. Cigarette smoking is the most common risk factor for COPD. Other factors include exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, exposure to occupational dusts, chemicals, and other indoor and outdoor air pollution.
“I always tell my patients, if they’re smoking, they have to quit,” says Dr. See. “That’s probably the most important decision they will make, as it will significantly slow down the course of their disease. They are not alone in fighting this addiction. We are here to help them. There is also help available in the form of Smoking Cessation Program offered both in Wenatchee and Moses Lake. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than patients quitting smoking and following through with treatment.”
“I find myself getting angry when I see people smoking,” says Barbara Bergstrom. “I want to put my hands on their shoulders and say, look at me. Look at what I’m living with. Fifty years ago we didn’t know what smoking would do, but now we have no excuses.”
While giving up smoking is the first step in treatment, a number of medications can treat symptoms, such as coughing or wheezing. A new generation of inhalers can help open the lung. Patients should follow up with their physicians regularly and need to be up-to-date with their vaccinations against pneumonia and influenza. Oxygen therapy is another intervention for patients with advanced COPD.
“Everything works hand in hand in COPD, says Dr. See, “both prevention and treatment.”
Early detection of COPD might alter its course and progress. A simple breathing test called spirometry can help identify the disease and its progr
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