Final answer:
COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is a lung disease with symptoms like shortness of breath and phlegm-filled coughs. It primarily results from smoking, which leads to a damaging of lung tissues and problems with gas exchange. While there is no cure for COPD, stopping smoking can decelerate its progression.
Step-by-step explanation:
COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, which is a lung condition characterized by prolonged poor airflow. The main symptoms of COPD include shortness of breath and a cough with phlegm. Over time, activities like walking upstairs become increasingly difficult. COPD encompasses conditions previously categorized separately as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. In particular, emphysema involves the destruction of lung connective tissues which reduces the number of alveoli and their elasticity, leading to trapped air in the lungs and impaired gas exchange. This can result in low oxygen levels and elevated carbon dioxide in the blood.
Smoking is the principal cause of COPD, with other factors such as air pollution and genetics playing a role. Although COPD can be managed with treatments like supplemental oxygen and bronchodilators, the disease is irreversible except through lung transplantation in severe cases. However, quitting smoking can slow the progression of COPD.