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Help care for your damaged lungs

	If you have COPD and smoke, the best thing you can do is quit. Doctors and therapists can do a lot to help you breathe more easily, and ConsumerReportsHealth.org can help you find treatments for COPD that work well.
	Subscribe to ConsumerReportsHealth.org today and find out whether medications or medical devices rate best for treating COPD.

There are two types of COPD: chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Some people with COPD have just chronic bronchitis, others have just emphysema. Many people have both. In chronic bronchitis, the airways get clogged with mucus, and that's why it's hard to breathe. In emphysema, the air sacs lose their stretchiness and get damaged permanently, so they can't expand and contract well. The air gets trapped in the air sacs.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with COPD, you’re not alone. Consumer Reports Health is here to help with the best research about COPD, and expert evidence and advice about how to treat it.

Key points for people with COPD

• Smoking is the main cause of COPD.
• If you have a smoker's cough, you could have COPD.
• More and more people are getting COPD, especially women.
• You can get COPD even if you quit smoking some years ago.
• As COPD gets worse, you have a harder time breathing.
• There are treatments that can help you breathe more easily and help your lungs work better.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is very common, and it's getting more prevalent, especially in women. But a lot of people don't know they have it. Researchers think that 24 million Americans have COPD, but only about half of these people have actually been diagnosed with the disease. If you have COPD, your lungs are damaged, usually from cigarette smoke. Sometimes, but not very often, people get COPD from breathing in harmful chemicals at work.

If you have COPD, the best thing you can do is quit smoking. This can help slow down how quickly the disease gets worse. There aren't any cures for COPD, but doctors and therapists can do a lot to help you breathe more easily and to make you feel better. We encourage you to read our entire condition report and to consult with your doctor to learn more about high cholesterol. As a Consumer Reports Health subscriber, you’ll have access to our expert research and recommendations, and you’ll be more confident and knowledgeable about which treatments are best for you.