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Back What are airways, and why do we have them? Your airways start at the entrance to your nostrils and go down to tiny sacs in your lungs called alveoli, via a series of tubes, like an upside- down tree. They are your respiratory system whose function is to obtain oxygen from the inspired air and to pass out a waste product, carbon dioxide. Your airways fulfil the following roles: Transport air into and out of the lungs Regulate the temperature and humidity of the air we breathe Protect your lungs from harmful particles, such as dust and germs Work together with other parts of the body to enable speech and smell For your lungs to function well in all these tasks, it is important to keep your airways healthy. This includes avoiding exposure to smoke, chemicals, and other substances that can irritate or damage them. What is COPD? Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a term used to describe a group of lung diseases caused by damage to the lungs. The damage leads to swelling and irritation, also called inflammation. This inflammation and narrowing of the airways makes it harder for air to flow in and out, also referred to as airflow obstruction. This can leave you feeling breathless. COPD is a common condition that affects millions of people and is sadly the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. Let’s break down the word COPD: C stands for Chronic – meaning the condition is long-term and does not go away. O stands for Obstructive – meaning the airways are partly narrowed, making it harder for air to flow out. P stands for Pulmonary – which is the medical term for anything related to the lungs. D stands for Disease – meaning it is a medical condition. COPD is a lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. It includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis,  which can often occur together. In emphysema, the thin walls of the air sacs of the lungs, called alveoli, become damaged over time. In healthy lungs, the elastic air sacs stretch and fill with air when you breathe in, and help get the air out when you exhale. When the air sacs are damaged, they lose their elasticity and the evacuation of air becomes difficult, leaving less room for fresh, oxygen-rich air to enter your lungs. This process causes shortness of breath and a wheezing sound upon exhaling. Because the overall surface area for gas exchange is reduced, the lungs also become less efficient at taking up oxygen. Chronic bronchitis on the other hand refers to a lung condition where the lining of the tubes that bring air into the lungs, called bronchi, are affected by inflammation. Due to the inflammation, the bronchi are swollen and narrowed. Moreover, extra mucus is being produced caused by the irritation, leading to blockage of the airways. A persistent cough results from trying to evacuate this mucus from the airways. While COPD can often be prevented, once it develops, it cannot be cured. The breathing problems tend to get gradually worse over time. The good news is that COPD is treatable. There are treatments to help improve your symptoms and quality of life. Proper management also lowers the risk of other conditions that are linked to COPD, such as heart disease. However, it is important to know that even if you are receiving treatment, you may sometimes notice a sudden worsening of your symptoms. This is called a flare-up or exacerbation. Causes of COPD COPD happens when the lungs become inflamed, damaged, and narrowed. The most common cause in developed countries is tobacco smoking. The risk of developing COPD goes up the longer and the more a person smokes. In developing countries, COPD is often the result of indoor (for example cooking fumes or heating fuels in poorly ventilated rooms) or outdoor air pollution. While smoking is the leading cause of COPD, it is important to know that about 1 in 4 people with COPD never smoked. Other risk factors of COPD may include: Other lung irritants, such as exposure to dust and/or fumes at work or secondhand smoke (passive exposure to smoke). A rare genetic disease, called alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, which results in a deficiency in a protein that protects the lungs. Impaired lung growth and development: Conditions affecting the lungs of children, either during pregnancy or childhood, can increase the risk. Examples include maternal smoking during pregnancy, frequent respiratory infections as a child or childhood asthma. Age (>40yrs), as lung function declines with increasing age Infections: Having HIV or tuberculosis can raise your risk of COPD Asthma: having asthma and being a smoker increases the risk of COPD even more Differences between men and women For a long time, COPD was thought to be a disease that mostly affected older men, because men smoked more. But recent data show a shift: COPD is now common in women, and in many developed countries is actually more frequent in women than in men. Women seem to be at a greater risk of developing COPD. They may develop COPD at a younger age and can have just as much lung damage as men, with fewer years of smoking. This suggests that women’s lungs may be more sensitive to the harmful effects of smoking. Sadly, women also seem to be at a higher risk of hospitalisation and even death related to the disease. The reasons behind this are largely unknown, but some theories exist. It might be linked to female hormones (estrogen), smaller airways, and increased exposure to tobacco smoking and cooking fumes/fuels. Women with COPD also often experience worse lung function, more frequent flare-ups, and poorer quality of life compared to their male counterparts. The good news is that current COPD treatments work just as well for women as they do for men. COPD myths debunked Myth: Only people who smoke develop COPD Truth: Although smoking is the main cause of COPD, about one in four people with the disease have