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gt;An important aspect to improving breathing and lifestyle if you have COPD (or any type of breathing impairment) is pulmonary rehabilitation and exercise. I have COPD/emphysema and was so exhausted just breathing; it was difficult to do any exercise.gt;gt; But I enrolled in pulmonary rehab and discovered that the effort is just way too simple for the amount of benefit you get from it.gt;gt; Through the program I learned how to control my breathing. You do upper-chest exercises and stretching and treadmill work. I couldn't walk over two minutes at 1 mile per hour on the treadmill—my legs were weak and my lung capacity was poor. But I went twice a week for about 40 to 45 minutes. gt;gt;I had to be able to walk six minutes to qualify for a transplant and I couldn't. After three months, I was able to walk six minutes and more. Even though I was still quite ill, this exercise greatly expanded my abilities to function in "normal" life. I have seen people who couldn't walk for two minutes, but after rehab they could walk for 20 minutes or more. I saw miracles happen there.gt;gt;gt;I had a lung transplantgt;gt;One piece of advice I have for people with COPD or any lung disease is to be proactive with their treatment. I received a lung transplant because of research and persistence with my insurance, primary-care doctor, pulmonary doctor, and transplant hospital.gt;gt;I was diagnosed with COPD in 2003. By then, I couldn't walk a flight of stairs without having to stop. I was put on various medications, including Advair, Spiriva, and albuterol inhalers, and after a bout with pneumonia in 2004, I was put on oxygen 24/7. My lung capacity (FEV1) was down to 11%. (A person with healthy lungs has an FEV1 of around 70%.) gt;gt;I was so sick that my pulmonologist told me I wouldn't likely be able to ever walk more than about a block. gt;gt;After I qualified for Medicare and purchased supplemental insurance, I started asking my pulmonologist about lung transplants. He said he didn't think Medicare would pay for it. I kept calling my supplemental health insurance company and National Jewish Health, which led me to the transplant services at University of Colorado Hospital. I got tested, and I believe that because I already had pulmonary rehabilitation and a transtracheal procedure, I met the requirements, which most people don't. Miraculously I was on a waiting list for a lung for only nine days. gt;gt;I had the surgery and my right lung was replaced. My donor saved my life and the lives of six others. He and his family are forever my heroes. Thirty days after the procedure, I was walking a mile a day and, at one point, was walking six to eight miles every day. Before this happened, if I was going to walk, something had to be out of gas. gt;gt;Now I lead a pretty normal life. I take antirejection medications in the morning and at night, and wear a protective mask when on airplanes or in hospitals. I no longer need O2, and maintain 95% to 97% oxygen saturation levels. My FEV1 is now 68%. gt;gt;I strongly suggest that you be proactive in your treatment—both for improved breathing and also to see if you would qualify for a transplant. It has been my experience that unless you are in a good pulmonary rehab program or actually being tested for a transplant, the exchange and availability of information is scarce. gt;gt;]]>

gt;gt; At first, I resisted using oxygen but eventually got used to it. Still, I really didn't like a lot of the problems that were associated with it. gt;gt;gt;I didn't like the oxygen tubinggt;gt;It is really dry here in Colorado where I live and having wind constantly blowing up your nose really dried out my sinuses. I would get nosebleeds, which were really more of an inconvenience than anything.gt;gt; There was also a bit of a vanity issue for me. Having plastic hanging from your face like that takes COPD from an invisible disease to something that is very visible. gt;gt; Then, two years ago I got a transtracheal device. They inserted it by using an instrument kind of like a paper punch and put a hole in your neck and slide a plastic tube through it.gt;gt; It is a much more efficient way to get oxygen; it has cut my intake by about one-third when I exercise. I don't have to deal with dry sinuses anymore or any of the discomfort that comes with using the old tubes. I also have minor sleep apnea, and I don't have to wear sleep apnea equipment because the oxygen goes directly into my lungs.gt;gt;I love it. And a number of people I know have tried it, and I can't think of anyone who doesn't like it. Of all the things I've tried to help manage the disease better, this is one of the best ones.gt;gt;gt;I created my own pulmonary rehabgt;gt;One of the other treatments that has really helped me is pulmonary rehabilitation, though I started it differently than most people. My insurance wouldn't pay for rehab, so I created my own.gt;gt; When I decided to begin rehab, I belonged to the YMCA. I did some Internet research and talked to the trainers at the YMCA. They helped me set up a program that is a combination of weights and cardiovascular exercises.gt;gt; They have a staff member who works with seniors, and the wellness director put it together after doing some research. I go there four days a week and take swim aerobics, a spin class, and a circuit-training fitness class.gt;gt; It was about me taking the initiative and working with them. They are there to help me, but they aren't going to chase me down to do it. Since we created the program, I have been encouraging the organization to reach out to people in its Silver Sneakers program. I've seen more people coming to the YMCA with their oxygen equipment, which is great. gt;gt;]]>

gt;gt; I found out I was an alpha-1 (alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is a condition that is caused by a gene mutation and that increases COPD risk), and back then, most alpha-1s were given about two to five years of productive life after diagnosis. My doctor told me not to make plans for retirement.gt;gt; I started on Prolastin therapy and took antibiotics early on when I was sick or had an exacerbation. Eventually I started using gt;albuterolgt;. I also took gt;prednisonegt; when I had an episode and a mucus breaker (like Mucinex) whenever I needed it.gt;gt; I didn't have any side effects from the Prolastin, but after about a year, the veins that I used to inject the medicine into collapsed. Prolastin is thick and caustic, so it probably caused my veins, which were weak to begin with, to break down. So I had a port implanted in my chest to administer the medication. At the time I was working full-time, going to college at night, and had three teenage children. I didn't have time to go to the doctor's each week to get the treatments, so I started self-infusing, which I still do. gt;gt; Over the years, I have used Advair and Singulair. After a while, I became immune to them. I have taken Spiriva, too, and went on oxygen in 1993. One of the problems with all the medications is the side effects. gt;gt;I now have glaucoma and the beginning of cataracts, which can pretty much be caused by any of the medications I take. I have acid reflux, which is probably because of the prednisone, but it could also be the result of Mucinex. And after having low blood pressure my whole life, it's now high probably because of Spiriva. (I don't believe that it is due to prednisone because I took it for years and still had low blood pressure.) My cholesterol is high, which it never was before. I think that is because of the bad diet I followed when I was working. That was the one thing that wasn't a side effect! And because of my stomach problems, I have to take Boniva for osteoporosis through an IV. I also had sudden weight gain from taking prednisone, and sleeplessness, jitters, and shaking from the nebulizers and inhaler. gt;gt;But those are all things that can be dealt with. I try not to get discouraged if one doesn't work. I just talk to my doctor and we try something else. My doctor and I have always measured the risk versus benefit of any drug, and sometimes it's not worth it. gt;gt;When I was first diagnosed, it was frightening to have some of these side effects. Still, after this many years, I know my body and what to expect. Right now I'm on four COPD medications, but I take a total of 17 pills a day—most of them for the side effects.gt;gt; I've come to look for the side effects and be more aware that they are possible. I read all the information that comes with a new drug. I think, to be truthful, the insurance issues cause me more aggravation and sleepless nights than the meds do. ]]>

gt;asthmagt;, a lung condition that is responsible for one-quarter of all emergency room visits each year. About 1 in 20 adults have gt;chronic obstructive pulmonary diseasegt; (COPD), which is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.gt;gt;Experts think the two lung conditions are unrelated, although both can cause coughing, shortness of breath, and other symptoms that respond to airway-relaxing drugs, known as gt;bronchodilatorsgt;.gt;gt;But could there be a link? A recent gt;studygt; by researchers in Australia found that more than 40% of children with severe asthma developed COPD by the age of 50—a 32-fold higher risk compared to asthma-free children. The researchers followed nearly 200 children beginning at age 7.gt;gt;"This certainly raises the point that early and aggressive treatment of asthma may indeed prevent the development of COPD later in life," says Robert Wise, MD, a professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in Baltimore.gt;gt; But it's too early to be sure, Dr. Wise says.gt;gt;gt;What is COPD?gt;gt;Experts believe that in some people, asthma—particularly severe asthma—raises the risk of COPD later in life. Asthma, an inflammatory condition, can thicken the walls of lung airways and gt;narrow air passagesgt;, a process known as remodeling.gt;gt;"I suspect that this remodeling of the airway may be part of what leads to fixed airflow obstruction in COPD," says Dr. Wise.gt;gt;COPD includes two conditions, gt;emphysemagt; and gt;chronic bronchitisgt;, and is often, but not always, caused by gt;smokinggt;. About 1 in 4 long-term smokers will get COPD, if they live long enough. Other causes of COPD include secondhand smoke, workplace exposure to dust and pollutants, and a gt;rare genetic conditiongt;. All of these may damage the lungs and dramatically speed up a process that happens in all people—a loss of gt;lung functiongt; with age.gt;gt;"Everyone loses a little lung function every year," notes Dennis E. Doherty, MD, a professor of pulmonary medicine at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, in Lexington.gt;gt;If your lung function is low to begin with (due to exposure to tobacco smoke or pollutants, for instance), you could hit that critical point in your lifetime, Dr. Doherty explains. It's possible that severe, untreated asthma might also reduce lung function, although researchers aren't sure.gt;gt;Unlike people with asthma, those with COPD never fully regain normal lung function with treatment and, instead, progressively struggle to catch their breath as they age. And drugs that help asthma—gt;bronchodilatorsgt;, inflammation-fighting gt;steroidsgt;—are much less effective for COPD.gt;gt;gt;COPD misdiagnosed as asthmagt;gt;Unfortunately, the significant resemblance between the symptoms of the two diseases often causes one to be mistaken for the other, which can lead to improper treatment. A study published in the in 2006 estimated that more than 50% of people with COPD are misdiagnosed with asthma.gt;gt; However, the two conditions do sometimes co-occur. Experts estimate that as many as 20% of people with COPD actually have asthma too.gt;gt;"Asthma is a much more socially acceptable diagnosis," says Dr. Wise, pointing to the gt;strong link between smoking and COPDgt; as a source of COPD's bad reputation. The stigma associated with COPD can make it even more difficult for doctors to disentangle diagnoses of COPD and asthma, he adds.gt;gt; This stigma may be especially important for women. In a group of people with identical medical histories and symptoms, research suggests, the men are more likely to be diagnosed with COPD and the women are more likely to be diagnosed with asthma. As it turns out, more women than men actually die from COPD.gt;gt;There may be a gender divide in asthma as well. A 2008 gt;studygt; in the suggested that boys are more likely than girls to outgrow asthma when they reach puberty.gt;gt;But many questions remain regarding the possible connection between asthma and COPD. "We still have a lot to know about the transition between childhood asthma and adult COPD," says Dr. Wise, "just how it takes place and how to prevent it."gt;gt;gt;Treating asthma is keygt;gt;While research is ongoing, it's important to follow children with asthma into adulthood and manage their symptoms well along the way, says the lead researcher of the Australian study, Andrew Tai, MD, of the Women's and Children's Hospital, in Adelaide.gt;gt;In the study, which Dr. Tai presented at the American Thoracic Society's 2010 International Conference, only children with severe asthma were at an increased risk of COPD. No increased risk was seen among children with mild asthma, a group that often outgrows the condition.gt;gt; Children with severe symptoms tend to have gt;allergiesgt;, and carry their wheeze into adulthood. In fact, many doctors probably don't see such severe cases anymore, says Dr. Tai. During the 1960s, today's mainstay asthma medications—inhaled corticosteroids and other anti-inflammatory drugs—were not yet available.gt;gt; Could some of these COPD cases have been prevented if children had been more rigorously treated? And could current asthma sufferers step up treatment to ward off the disease?gt;gt;Dr. Wise says that the evidence is not yet solid enough to say. But if this link turns out to be real, then many patients today are still missing out on the COPD protection. "We know that about 50% of patients with asthma, including children, have inadequately controlled asthma," he notes. "And we know that at least half of the prescribed steroids never get filled."gt;gt;Dr. Tai agrees. His study suggests that children with severe asthma don't necessarily experience faster decline in lung function later in life. Instead, their lung development may be compromised early on, which suggests that COPD could be prevented with better childhood asthma treatment.gt;gt; For now, researchers do know that cigarette smoking may be a risk factor for developing COPD, not just a trigger for asthma symptoms. Sadly, about 1 in 5 kids with asthma end up smoking later in life, according to research by Dr. Wise.gt;gt;Even though smoking is dangerous for anyone, it is particularly so for people with asthma.gt;gt;"While not everyone who smokes is going to get COPD, this allows us to target resources towards a particularly vulnerable population," says Dr. Wise.gt;gt;]]> Getty Images

gt;gt; Patrick is the first woman to win an IndyCar race and posted the highest-ever finish for a woman in the Indianapolis 500 (she placed third overall). The boundary-breaking bombshell’s latest endeavor is a new kind of challenge, however. She’s teamed up with four other celebrities for the Drive4COPD campaign, an effort to promote health screenings for gt;chronic obstructive pulmonary diseasegt; (COPD), a blanket term that includes the lung diseases gt;chronic bronchitisgt; and gt;emphysemagt;.gt;gt;The fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., COPD kills more than 100,000 people each year. While over 12 million Americans have been diagnosed with COPD, an equal number are believed to be living with the disease without knowing it.gt;gt; Patrick sat down with Health.com and discussed what it’s like to be a female in a man’s world, how she stays healthy on the road (and track), and why COPD is close to her heart.gt;gt;gt;What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a woman in the traditionally male world of auto racing?gt;gt;As I came up through the ranks, it was really a matter of getting people to believe that I could accomplish what I knew I could accomplish, and that I have the same capabilities as a guy. You really have to prove to people you can do it; maybe in my position I have to prove it more than once. But being a girl has also opened doors. You get people’s attention by being someone different.gt;gt;gt;How do you handle the stress of racing?gt;gt;One thing I remember is to always put 100% effort in. I always do everything I can to prepare, and as long as I’ve done those things, I know I’ve done everything I can. Then it’s just a matter of experience—and a little luck—and I can rest easy knowing I’ve done my best. gt;gt;gt;What do you do off the track to stay in shape?gt;gt;Racing is an interesting balance of strength and endurance. I lift weights a lot—driving cars is more work than it looks, and I lift weights to stay strong. I do cardio for the endurance. I like to run; I’ve been a runner for a long time.gt;gt;In the off-season I like to take the weight training out of my program because I think the body needs a little break from big, heavy weights and asking a lot of your muscles. I do gt;yogagt; in the off-season because I think there are three really important pieces to fitness: flexibility, strength, and endurance. Working out doesn’t have to take long, but it should be demanding. You should break a sweat and should be breathing heavy.gt;gt;gt;gt;You love to cook. What do you make?gt;gt;I love to cook breakfast because I love to eat breakfast. I make a really mean bowl of oatmeal. I like to make eggs and omelets, French toast, you name it. My husband and I really like to cook dinner together. If we have a day off, it’s fun to get out the cookbook, pick a recipe, and then get the things that we need and cook all day.gt;gt;gt;You must not have a lot of time to cook when you’re on the road. How do you maintain a healthy diet with all that traveling?gt;gt;Cooking for yourself at home gets you familiar with the methods, so you know that ‘pan-fried’ is going to be a pool of butter and oil, and that if you have something grilled it’s much more healthy. You know some of the tricks of restaurants, like knowing they cook vegetables in butter or oil, so you should try to get them steamed instead. I am annoying at restaurants [Laughs], but when I eat at least half of my meals out, I have to be. At the end of the day, it’s your meal, so get what you want! In moderation, of course.gt;gt;gt;What’s your biggest guilty pleasure food?gt;gt;Pizza and desserts of any kind. My favorite dessert is cookies. Also wine.gt;gt;gt;How do you indulge in those treats and make sure not to overdo it?gt;gt;You can’t eat them every day. If you want pizza, have one piece and some salad and maybe some chicken on the side. You can still have pizza if you have a small amount of it. It’s also better to cook it yourself. We buy a crust at the store and put all the toppings on ourselves. It only takes 15 minutes and it’s much more healthy.gt;gt;gt;You’re one of the celebrity faces of Drive4COPD. Why is it important to you to raise awareness for this disease?gt;gt;My grandma had COPD. She was a gt;smokergt; and she had emphysema. To see someone you love sick and not able to travel around without an gt;oxygen tankgt; is really sad.gt;gt;About half of the people who have COPD don’t know they have it, so there’s a demand for awareness. We’ve screened over 140,000 people since February, and 17% have been found to be at risk. The easiest way to ease your mind about whether or not you’re at risk is to take the five-question screener at gt;drive4copd.comgt;. It’s really simple.gt;gt;gt;Have you ever been a smoker?gt;gt;No. I’ve always been an athlete, from cheerleading, basketball, volleyball, and racing, of course. It just doesn’t fit with the lifestyle.gt;gt;]]> Courtesy of Drive4COPD.com

gt;If you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), you're at an increased risk for developing other health problems, such as gt;osteoporosisgt;, gt;gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)gt; , gt;diabetesgt;, and gt;heart diseasegt;. But there are certain times when COPD patients are more vulnerable to heart attack or strokes than other people: in the days and weeks after an exacerbation, a serious flare-up in symptoms, which can land you in the hospital.gt;gt;gt;Exacerbationsgt; are often a fact of life if you have severe COPD, according to Byron Thomashow, MD, clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University, medical director of the Jo-Ann F. LeBuhn Center for Chest Disease at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and chairman of the board of the COPD Foundation. Whether it's air pollution, a cold, or another lung infection that sets them off, exacerbations can ramp up your shortness of breath or cough to dangerous levels.gt;gt;"I think about three-quarters of patients have at least one a year," he says. "Even in those people who successfully get through an exacerbation … it can take months and months to get back to their prior level of quality of life and function even though the symptoms go away quickly."gt;gt;In general, people with more exacerbations tend to have poor lung function, reduced activity, increased inflammation, and higher mortality rates.gt;gt;gt;What causes exacerbationsgt;gt;The flare-ups are typically caused by infections from a virus or bacteria (particularly for smokers, who are at an increased risk of getting infected). Medications to treat COPD, including inhaled steroids like Advair, can also increase the risk of pneumonia, which can result in exacerbations. The risks have to be weighed with the potential benefits, and not using medication correctly can itself result in exacerbations.gt;gt;In about one-third of flare-ups, there is no obvious cause, says William Barkman, MD, MSPH, a gt;pulmonologistgt; and chief of staff at the University of Kansas Hospital, in Kansas City, Kan. gt;gt;"It could be environmental, or sometimes people stop taking their medications, which can lead to an exacerbation. And occasionally a comorbid disease like heart failure is the cause," Dr. Barkman adds.gt;gt;To reduce the risk of problems related to COPD exacerbations, patients are typically treated with oxygen, medication, including beta agonists and antibiotics, and sometimes steroids to reduce inflammation. gt;gt;gt;gt;How does COPD affect heart health?gt;gt;All COPD patients are at risk for heart problems—about 30% of people with COPD die of cardiovascular disease. And those who have exacerbations are more likely to have heart problems following a flare-up. gt;gt;Patients who had exacerbations had a 2.27-fold greater risk of a heart attack one to five days after the flare-up, according to a 2009 study in the journal Chest. They had a 1.26-fold greater risk of stroke between one and 49 days after an exacerbation. gt;gt;A 2006 article in Thorax found that COPD patients with high levels of C-reactive protein (a protein in the blood that rises in response to inflammation) have increased relative risk of mortality, and were 1.85 and 1.51 more likely to die of cancer and cardiovascular events, respectively, than COPD patients with low levels of C-reactive protein. gt;gt;It is estimated that there's one shared risk factor for both COPD and cardiac events: smoking. Another likely cause is the chronic inflammation that occurs with COPD, which damages blood vessels. This inflammation becomes acute during a flare-up. gt;gt;gt;Do medications play a role?gt;gt;Medications given during the events, like inhaled beta agonists (gt;Albuterolgt;), can also negatively affect the heart. gt;gt;Robert Ostfeld, MD, MSC, a cardiologist and associate professor of clinical medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y., says the beta agonists can increase the heart rate, forcing it to work harder; promote arrhythmia, or irregular heart rate; and increase blood pressure. gt;gt;There is no guaranteed way to completely avoid exacerbations, but there are many things you can do to help prevent them and thereby reduce the risk of heart attacks triggered by exacerbations, Dr. Thomashow says. gt;gt;Using long-acting gt;bronchodilatorsgt;, such as gt;salmeterolgt;, in combination with gt;inhaled corticosteroidsgt;, like Flovent and Azmacort, and anticholinergics, which relax and open up airways, such as Spiriva, can reduce exacerbations. Dr. Thomashow says taking the three in combination can also decrease heart attack risk by 60% or more, probably because they reduce exacerbation risk.gt;gt;In addition, people can also take some very basic actions to help prevent respiratory infections, which can cause exacerbations. Dr. Ostfeld recommends regular hand washing and not touching your face in public places (which can spread germs from hand to mouth before you can wash them). And remember to get your flu shots, to prevent respiratory ailments, too.gt;gt;And finally, he encourages COPD patients to exercise regularly, eat a largely plant-based diet, and have regular checkups to make sure things like blood pressure and cholesterol are under control.gt;gt;"Having a healthy lifestyle and keeping underlying medical conditions well treated will go a long way to protecting yourself from any medical problems," Dr. Ostfeld says.gt;gt; ]]> Istockphoto

gt;gt; COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. More than 12 million Americans have COPD, but just as many may have the lung disease and don't realize it. Find out more about how to prevent and treat COPD.gt;gt;For more details on COPD, check out the following information from our gt;A–Z Health Librarygt;.gt;gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt;gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt;gt; gt; ]]>

gt;gt;Unfortunately, I inhaled an awful lot of secondhand smoke as a kid. My father and my uncles would get together to play cards and smoke the entire time. Although my mother discouraged them from smoking around me as much as possible due to my asthma, I still ended up with a significant exposure to secondhand smoke.gt;gt;My asthma seemed to improve as I reached adulthood, but I was still struggling with pneumonia almost once a year. I also had a lot of chest colds. I had to treat my chest as if it were made of glass, protecting it from infections at all costs.gt;gt; Sometime between the ages of 25 and 30, one of the many pulmonary specialists I saw throughout my life told me I had emphysema, which is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a serious progressive disorder that makes it very difficult to breathe.gt;gt;COPD is a rare diagnosis for people in their 20s, particularly for nonsmokers. I’d never smoked in my life.gt;gt;gt;An allergist diagnosed megt;gt;Despite frequent bouts of pneumonia, the COPD didn’t come up again until I went to see an allergist at age 55. The allergist found it strange that my X-ray showed signs of emphysema even though I’d never smoked. He wanted to screen me for a rare genetic condition. The blood test showed I have alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency. That was undoubtedly the explanation for my severe COPD. Curiously, even after all the doctors I’d seen since my 20s, he was the first to mention a genetic cause, and he was an allergist!gt;gt;I was amused by the irony of being diagnosed with this rare condition at a time when I felt healthier than ever. At that point in my life, it was very rare for me to have the severe asthma attacks that sent me to the hospital when I was younger. I was frequently sick, but the life-threatening emergencies had gone away.gt;gt;The diagnosis was also a relief. I finally had answers to many of my questions, like “Why would a guy who’s never smoked have so much lung damage?” I learned that the secondhand smoke I inhaled was more than likely a major cause of my COPD. Although anybody can be damaged by secondhand smoke, the AAT deficiency made me extremely vulnerable.gt;gt;gt;gt;Both my children are carriersgt;gt;To be an alpha like I am, you need to have a defective gene from each of your parents. My diagnosis is SZ, meaning I have a more severe Z gene (from my mother almost certainly), and an S gene, which is not as severe (from my father). None of my relatives have been officially diagnosed with AAT deficiency, but I suspect some have had it. My mother’s family in Canada was filled with people who were severely asthmatic and did not have access to very good medical care. I had an aunt who died at 37 due to what was diagnosed as “severe asthma” at the time.gt;gt;I passed the Z gene to my children, so both my kids are carriers. Luckily, both of them are healthy because they also have the normal gene from my wife. They could still pass the defective gene to their own children, though.gt;gt; Today I’m more open about my condition than I was growing up. People often overreact, in the sense that they’ll try to help me do things I’m perfectly capable of doing on my own. For example, they’ll move a heavy chair for me, thinking I shouldn’t exert myself. I can’t jog anymore, but I’ve been a regular walker for a very long time. I love to visit art shows, and I can walk for miles with ease among the displays. I also can’t play sports anymore, but a lot of guys my age can’t play sports!gt;gt;To treat my COPD, I take Advair and another drug, Spiriva. In addition, I’ve been treating my AAT deficiency with augmentation therapy since 2000. These are weekly infusions of the AAT protein that is collected from healthy donors. It's expensive, but it replaces the AAT that my body doesn’t make on its own.gt;gt;I’m still highly susceptible to lung infections and have to be extra careful. After a bad cold, the average person may be back to normal in a week; I’ll be drained for a month. Exacerbations of my COPD, which can be life-threatening emergencies that require a trip to the hospital, are never as bad as they used to be. I haven’t needed a hospital visit since before I was diagnosed with the AAT deficiency in 2000.gt;gt; gt;gt;AAT deficiency is not a death sentencegt;gt;I’m not the typical alpha. Most people are frightened, shocked, or depressed by the diagnosis; I was amused. I always knew my lungs were in bad shape—at least now I can do something about it.gt;gt; However, the diagnosis can feel like a death sentence because there isn’t a cure. Doctors too often make disgraceful statements based on little information and a lot of ignorance. Many alphas have told me about doctors saying frightening things like, “I really don’t know a lot about this genetic condition, but I can tell you that it’s usually fatal and you probably have about five years to live.”gt;gt; There is no research supporting the five-years number. Twenty-year-old research suggests that half of people with severe AAT deficiency won’t live longer than 54. But I know a lot of people diagnosed in their 40s and 50s who are older than 54.gt;gt;Genetic COPD is enormously underdiagnosed because people don’t know the facts. Even the most obvious cases—people like me who have severe COPD but never smoked—often aren’t tested. If they don’t get tested, they can’t be properly treated.gt;gt;There may not be a typical alpha. If I’m atypical, it’s not because it took me a long time to get diagnosed; it’s because I’m healthier than most. I’m remarkably healthy for a 64-year-old who has had problems all his life. I had the great fortune of doing quite well by the time I got diagnosed. I am very, very fortunate.]]> (BOB CAMPBELL)

gt;gt; COPD is a serious, long-term illness. It is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. More than 12 million Americans have COPD and it is thought that at least as many other people have COPD and don't realize it.gt;gt; For more details on COPD, check out the following information from our gt;A-Z Health Librarygt;.gt;gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt;gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt;gt; gt; ]]>

gt;gt;Whatever the cause, you may need to make an extra effort to eat enough nutritious food to maintain a healthy weight.gt;gt;To find out more about how to prevent COPD-related weight loss, check out the following information from our gt;A–Z Health Librarygt;.gt;gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt;gt; gt; gt; gt; gt; gt;gt; gt; ]]>