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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffComplications of COPD include:
- Respiratory infections. When you have COPD, you're more likely to get frequent colds, the flu or pneumonia. Plus, any respiratory infection can make it much more difficult to breathe and produce further irreversible damage to the lung tissue. Talk to your doctor about annual flu shots and regular pneumococcal vaccines.
- High blood pressure. COPD may cause high blood pressure in the arteries that bring blood to your lungs (pulmonary hypertension).
- Heart problems. For reasons that aren't fully understood, COPD increases your risk of heart disease, including heart attack.
- Lung cancer. Smokers with chronic bronchitis are at a higher risk of developing lung cancer than are smokers who don't have chronic bronchitis.
- Depression. Difficulty breathing can keep you from doing activities that you enjoy. And it can be very difficult to deal with a disease that is progressive and incurable. Talk to your doctor if you feel sad or helpless or think that you may be experiencing depression.
References
- Standards for the diagnosis and management of patients with COPD. American Thoracic Society. http://www.thoracic.org/sections/copd/resources/copddoc.pdf. Accessed Jan. 15, 2009.
- Gigliotti F, et al. Breathing retraining and exercise conditioning in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): A physiological approach. Respiratory Medicine. 2003;97:197.
- What is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/copd/what-is-copd/index.htm. Accessed Jan. 15, 2009.
- Pocket guide to COPD diagnosis, management and prevention. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. http://www.goldcopd.com/Guidelineitem.asp?l1=2&l2=1&intId=1116. Accessed Jan. 15, 2009.
- Sutherland ER, et al. Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. New England Journal of Medicine. 2004;350:2589.
- COPD Fact Sheet. American Lung Association. COPD Fact Sheet.http://www.lungusa.org/site/c.dvLUK9O0E/b.252866/k.A435/COPD_Fact_Sheet.htm. Accessed Jan. 15, 2009.
- Tiep BL, et al. Long-term supplemental oxygen therapy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 15, 2009.
