World COPD day takes place today (Wednesday 20 November) just as the weather turns colder.
Cold spells can cause breathing problems for people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Sometimes there may be periods when your symptoms get suddenly worse – known as a flare-up or exacerbation. It's common to have a few flare-ups a year, particularly during the winter.
If you or a family member has COPD, it's a good idea to keep an eye on the weather forecast and make sure you have enough of your medicine to hand in case your symptoms get temporarily worse.
Alona Kerr, community respiratory nurse, at NCIC explains more about COPD: “COPD is the name for a group of lung conditions which make it more difficult to breathe air out of the lungs, due to a permanent narrowing of the airways and destruction of lung tissue. These conditions include chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
“COPD happens when the lungs become inflamed, damaged and narrowed. The main cause is smoking, although the condition can sometimes affect people who have never smoked.
“The damage to the lungs caused by COPD is permanent, but treatment can help slow down the progression of the condition.
"Most people with COPD do not have any noticeable symptoms until they reach their late 40s or 50s.
"Common symptoms of COPD include:
- shortness of breath – this may only happen when exercising at first, and you may sometimes wake up at night feeling breathless
- a persistent chesty cough with phlegm that does not go away
- frequent chest infections
- persistent wheezing
"If you are experiencing any of the symptoms described above, please consult your GP."
This year’s theme for World COPD Day is ‘Know Your Lung Function’. This is also known as spirometry, which is one of the tests which can be undertaken to accurately diagnose COPD.
Spirometry is a painless test that measures how well your lungs function by evaluating how much and how quickly you can inhale and exhale air. It's a common pulmonary function test that can help diagnose and monitor lung conditions including COPD.
Spirometry only covers one aspect of your lung function, however there are other lung function tests which can be carried out in the hospital.