Treatment Plan
COPD does not have a cure. The goals of treatment are to provide relief of symptoms and prevent progression of the disease. Your physician may recommend any of the following treatments depending on your symptoms and clinical findings:
Stop smoking. If patients who are diagnosed with emphysema and/or chronic bronchitis are still smoking, the first and best form of treatment is to stop. Cigarette smoking causes the disease to worsen in spite of any other efforts that can be used to improve the symptoms of emphysema.
Environmental control. Many people with COPD notice their symptoms worsen when they are exposed to air pollution, dust or secondhand smoke. Avoid exposure to these agents whenever possible.
Bronchodilating medications. These drugs open up and relax the air passages in the lungs. The most commonly prescribed medications for emphysema and chronic bronchitis include a class of drugs known as B2-agonists. These drugs can be taken orally or they can be delivered as aerosol sprays through an inhaler. Sometimes, they are also administered through an aerosol nebulizer, with which you inhale the drug given through a special machine set up at your home.
Anti-inflammatory medications. Since emphysema and chronic bronchitis involve a chronic inflammation of the lung tissue, your physician may prescribe a steroid-containing medication to reduce lung irritation. Usually these drugs are given when the disease flares up and symptoms get worse but some patients are required to take steroids every day. Take these drugs exactly as they are prescribed and do not stop taking them without a physician's order. They are taken orally or inhaled.
Supplemental oxygen. If patients are unable to maintain acceptable oxygen levels on their own, the physician may prescribe supplemental oxygen, delivered through a tube leading into the nostrils. This oxygen is usually portable and can be taken as needed or worn continuously. Patients experiencing a severe attack of emphysema or chronic bronchitis may require hospitalization and a mechanical respirator to assist their breathing.
Pulmonary rehabilitation. This is one of the newly recognized areas of rehabilitation. In a pulmonary rehabilitation program patients can be treated either in an inpatient or outpatient setting. The goal is to return patients to the highest functional level possible within the limits of their disease. Many medical disciplines, such as physicians, nurses, physical and respiratory therapists, dietitians and psychologists work together with the patient.
Surgery. For some types of patients with emphysema, there is a newer type of surgery called lung reduction. The surgery involves the removal of diseased and damaged regions of the lungs so that the normal tissue can function better.
Lung transplant surgery is performed for a select group of patients with late-stage emphysema. As with other organ transplants, there is a long waiting list for lung transplantation.
More on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary (Lung) Diseases How Is Emphysema Treated?
In the Encyclopedia: Cough
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
|
