Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, commonly known as COPD, is a progressive lung condition that significantly impacts the quality of life for millions worldwide. Characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation, COPD is primarily caused by long-term exposure to harmful particles or gases, most notably from cigarette smoke. As a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, this disease poses a substantial public health challenge, often going undiagnosed until it has advanced due to its insidious onset and the commonality of its symptoms with other respiratory conditions. Understanding COPD is crucial for early detection and management, which can help improve patient outcomes and slow the progression of the disease.
What is COPD?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease that causes airflow blockage in the bronchi (air tubes) in the lungs; it is a chronic disease that worsens over time. COPD is now a major global epidemic that occurs in more than 10% of adults older than 40 years of age. Due to the lack of awareness and somewhat generic symptoms, COPD is under-recognized and under-diagnosed.
What is the Connection?
The connection between pulmonology and sleep medicine is not always obvious to patients. Pulmonology is a medical specialty that deals with respiratory health. If you are having issues breathing, your doctor may refer you to a pulmonologist.
Sleep medicine is devoted to sleep health. What is that, exactly? The field of sleep medicine has exploded in recent years. More and more doctors are recognizing the impact that sleep has on overall health, and many physicians are getting subspecialty certified to treat sleep disorders.
COPD and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are two major chronic conditions that impact the lives of millions of Americans. Separately, COPD and OSA contribute to the morbidity and mortality of hundreds of thousands of Americans every year, but OSA is prevalent in 10-15% of COPD patients in what is called overlap syndrome (OS) - a term used to describe two common respiratory diseases, i.e. OSA and COPD.
What are the Symptoms?
If you have asthma and/ or COPD, you may be at increased risk for sleep apnea if:
✔ You have more frequent asthma/ COPD symptoms, you are overweight, smoke, experience nasal problems, heartburn, or use higher doses of inhaled corticosteroid
✔ You are sleepy during the day, even after you have slept all night
✔ You snore or make choking noises while you sleep
✔ You have been observed to have breathing pauses during sleep
✔ You wake up in the morning with headaches
On their own, COPD and OSA contribute to tens of thousands of American deaths every year, but the conditions can occur together, and the overlap can have increased deleterious effects on the health of patients.
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ANCSLEEP BLOG- Good Sleep Starts Here