Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease facts for kids

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), also known as chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD), and chronic obstructive airway disease (COAD), is a collection of diseases which make breathing gradually more difficult.

Symptoms of COPD include difficulty breathing and cough, in particular coughing up lots of phlegm. It is usually caused by smoking cigarettes, and around half of people who smoke for their whole lives will develop COPD. Air pollution can be another cause, particularly in countries where indoor fires are used without ventilation.

At the beginning of the disease, the difficulty breathing is only noticeable when exercising, but over many years it gradually becomes worse, until there is difficulty breathing even when sitting or lying down. It can also lead to infections of the lung, which may be serious enough to cause death.

The most important step in treating COPD is to stop smoking. Exercise and medications can also help. The most commonly used medications are called bronchodilators, which help to open up the airways and allow more air into the lungs.

3% of all disability is related to COPD. People can die from COPD. The World Health Organization predicts that COPD will become the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030. It is thought that more people will die from it in the future because people are living longer and an increasing number of people in the world smoke.

Types of COPD

• Emphysema
• Chronic bronchitis
• Bronchiectasis

Images for kids

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  Normal lungs shown in upper diagram. Lungs damaged by COPD in lower diagram with an inset showing a cross-section of bronchioles blocked by mucus and damaged alveoli.

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  Micrograph showing emphysema (left – large empty spaces) and lung tissue with relative preserved alveoli (right).

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  A person blowing into a spirometer. Smaller handheld devices are available for office use.

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  Giovanni Battista Morgagni, who made one of the earliest recorded descriptions of emphysema in 1769

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  Chest X-ray demonstrating severe COPD: Note the small heart size in comparison to the lungs.

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  A lateral chest X-ray of a person with emphysema: Note the barrel chest and flat diaphragm.

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  Lung bulla as seen on chest X-ray in a person with severe COPD

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  A severe case of bullous emphysema

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  Axial CT image of the lung of a person with end-stage bullous emphysema

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  Very severe emphysema with lung cancer on the left (CT scan)

See also

In Spanish: Enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica para niños