The leading cause of COPD is smoking, which can lead to the two most common forms of this disease, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of lung diseases involving limited airflow and varying degrees of air sac enlargement, airway inflammation, and lung tissue destruction.
Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the most common forms of COPD. Prolonged tobacco use causes lung inflammation and variable degrees of air sac (alveoli) destruction. This leads to inflamed and narrowed airways (chronic bronchitis) or permanently enlarged air sacs of the lung with reduced lung elasticity (emphysema).
Between 15% and 20% of long-term smokers will develop COPD.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who also have acid reflux are twice as likely to experience COPD exacerbations, says a study of the journal Chest.
Heartburn, also called acid indigestion, is the most common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), caused by gastric acid flowing from the stomach into the esophagus. The typical cause of heartburn is when acid from the stomach backs up into the esophagus. It can last as long as two hours and is often worse after eating. Lying down or bending over can also result in heartburn.
The University of Florida, Jacksonville study included 86 COPD patients, average age 67.5 years. Of these patients, 37 percent had acid reflux, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
In this study, clinically significant reflux was defined as weekly heartburn and/or acid regurgitation.
The patients with GERD were twice as likely to experience COPD exacerbations compared to patients without GERD.
Another study in the same issue of the journal found that winter viruses have a major impact on the health of COPD patients.
The study of 2,215 COPD patients at 20 U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Centers found that they experienced significant changes in lung function during the winter flu season.
Lifestyle contributors to GERD may include the following:
• being overweight
• overeating
• consuming certain foods, such as citrus, peppermint, chocolate, fatty, and spicy foods
• caffeine
• alcohol
• smoking
• use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
Other medical causes of heartburn may include the following:
• gastritis - an inflammation of the stomach lining.
• ulcer disease
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