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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - Diseases with Similar Symptoms

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of COPD -- emphysema and/or chronic bronchitis.

Alternative Names

COPD; Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency; Bronchitis - chronic; Chronic bronchitis; Emphysema

Diseases with Similar Symptoms:

Several diseases have similar symptoms and may occur with COPD.

Acute Bronchitis

A virus usually causes acute bronchitis. In most cases it does not require treatment. The cough it produces typically lasts for 7 - 10 days. In about half of patients, however, coughing can last for up to 3 weeks, and 25% of patients continue to cough for more than 1 month. Acute bronchitis may be a warning sign of future problems in some patients.

Asthma

The classic symptoms of an asthma attack are coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath (dyspnea). Patients with asthma typically have trouble breathing in and may wheeze when breathing out. Irritation of the nose and throat, thirst, and the need to urinate are common symptoms and may occur before an asthma attack begins.

Some people first experience chest tightness or pain, or a nonproductive cough that does not occur with wheezing. About 75% of patients have chest pain. It can be very severe, even if the asthma attack itself is not severe. At the end of an attack, a person will often have a cough that produces a thick, stringy mucus.

Some people with COPD wheeze because they also have asthma.

Lung Cancer

There are usually no symptoms of lung cancer until the disease is advanced. Frequent bouts of pneumonia or a lung infection that does not clear up in a seemingly healthy adult may be the first signs of lung cancer. Signs of advanced lung cancer can include:

Bloody phlegm
Chest pain
Coughing
Fever
Shortness of breath
Weight loss

Bronchiectasis

Bronchiectasis is an irreversible lung disease in which the walls of the airways in the lung are widened (dilated) and are eventually destroyed. Patients with this disease may have chronic sinus infections or inflammation (sinusitis), a chronic cough, and heavy phlegm that often contains blood. People with this condition usually have had serious, frequent respiratory infections, often starting in childhood. Other factors associated with bronchiectasis are:

Cystic fibrosis
Problem with the immune system (immunodeficiency)
Rheumatic diseases
Smoking

Resources

www.lungusa.org -- American Lung Association
www.nhlbi.nih.gov -- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
www.aarc.org -- American Association for Respiratory Care
www.njc.org -- National Jewish Medical and Research Center
www.alpha1.org -- Alpha1 National Association
www.emphysemafoundation.org -- The National Emphysema Foundation
www.nlhep.org -- National Lung Health Education Program
www.thoracic.org -- American Thoracic Society
www.sts.org -- Society of Thoracic Surgeons
www.unos.org -- United Network for Organ Sharing
www.copd-international.com -- COPD International (patient support site)

References

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Reviewed last on: 4/20/2009
Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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