How to Recognize the Early Signs of COPD
Courtney Carter
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

How to Recognize the Early Signs of COPD

November is COPD Awareness Month and an important step in helping the estimated 18 million Americans living with the undiagnosed condition to learn the symptoms and begin treatment.

The sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. COPD refers to several chronic lung diseases that limit airflow in and out of the lungs. These include emphysema, chronic bronchitis and asthma. COPD is a chronic disease that worsens over time as the damaged lung tissue does not repair itself. However, early diagnosis can lead to treatment that can slow the progression of the disease, improve symptoms, reduce the need for hospital stays out of hospital, and lead to a longer life.  

 

Common early symptoms of COPD include:

  • Shortness of breath after exertion or, in severe cases, after minimal exertion or even at rest

  • A lingering cough with or without mucous

  • Wheezing

  • Tightness in your chest

  • Weight loss

  • Difficulty sleeping

  • Fatigue

  • A blue tinge to the skin caused by insufficient oxygen

  • Reoccurring lung infections like acute bronchitis or pneumonia

 

It’s important to note that you don’t need to experience all these symptoms to have COPD.

In addition, COPD can develop slowly over time. As the disease progresses, symptoms often get increasingly worse. Very often, people find themselves cutting back on their day-to-day routines and activities in response to symptoms, which has the unfortunate effect of further reducing lung function.

Take a free online COPD Risk Screener

The COPD Foundation offers a free online risk screener to help you assess your symptoms.

Comprised of five simple question, it takes less than a minute to complete and can help you—and your health care provider—assess your risk for having the disease.
Click HERE to take the risk screener.

 

Again, there are ways to manage and treat COPD. The sooner you get diagnosed, the sooner you can begin a treatment plan to keep your lungs as healthy as possible for as long as possible.

Diagnosing COPD involves a simple, non-invasive breathing test called spirometry. Other measures used to confirm a diagnosis include:

  • a physical examination

  • medical history

  • gas transfer and lung volume tests

  • blood tests

  • sputum analysis

  • chest x-ray

  • computed tomography (CT) scan.

If you’re diagnosed with COPD, treatment options may include medications, oxygen therapy, and pulmonary rehabilitation. While treatment will not repair damaged lung tissue, it can help slow the disease’s progress and prevent further loss of lung function.

If you’re experiencing symptoms or are concerned about COPD, contact your healthcare provider to schedule an appointment to be evaluated. 

 

Disha Geriani, MD specializes in pulmonary medicine and critical care at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington.

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A Note from SVMC Dentistry

Unlike many other types of health care, most dental procedures require that a patient be present in the office with their mouth uncovered and wide open. In addition, many dental procedures, produce a lot of spray or aerosolized particles that could spread infection. For these reasons, reopening dental offices while COVID-19 circulates requires many strict precautions to ensure safety for patients and staff.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Vermont Department of Health have issued the requirements necessary to reopen our office for patient care. For the next few months, the changes lessen by half the number of patients we are able to see per day and dramatically change the care experience.

Here are some of the changes we've made:

  • We are screening and testing our staff, and all staff are wearing more protective equipment than ever, including treatment gowns and gloves, head coverings, facemasks (such as surgical masks, N95 masks, or respirators), and face-shields, as required during treatment procedures.
  • Patients can use the "virtual" waiting room to lessen the number of people in our waiting room and observe social distancing. We ask that only one person accompany a patient to a dental appointment and only if the patient needs assistance.
  • We screen patients at the Medical Office Building entrance to ensure they have no symptoms and that they are wearing a facemask. Patients must wear their facemask at all times, except during the actual treatment.
  • Some preventive care and treatments carry a higher risk for producing airborne oral droplets. These procedures may be modified to ensure that care is safe.
  • Most dramatically, depending on the dental treatment, a room must remain idle for 15 minutes - 1 hour to allow droplets to settle before disinfection. This limits the number of patients that we can treat each day.

While it is very disappointing to us—after all, we became dentists and hygienists because we like to provide dental care—all existing appointments will be suspended and a new schedule will be created, based on the time it takes for a room to be disinfected. We understand that this is frustrating for patients who must wait longer than usual for an appointment, but it is also necessary to make care safe for all.

Major changes to the ventilation systems—the installation of HEPA filtration and negative-pressure in our treatment rooms—will eliminate airborne droplets more quickly and enable us to see more patients per day. This change is expected to be complete later this summer.

In the meantime, we appreciate your patience as we meet your needs as best we can. We encourage you to continue vigilant home care and reach out to us with your questions. Most of all, we look forward to returning to a more normal time when we can deliver all of the dental care our community needs safely and efficiently.

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