Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) doesn’t come and go the way asthma tends to do. The symptoms are often relatively stable. But that doesn’t mean you should back off on managing them. By actively taking charge of stable COPD, you can make living with the disease a little easier.
Nearly 16 million Americans have been diagnosed with COPD. But it’s likely that many more have the disease without knowing it. That’s a lost opportunity, because treatment can help people with COPD feel better, be more active, and slow down worsening of the disease.