Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Find out about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including the symptoms, types, causes, how it's diagnosed and the treatment and support available.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a condition that affects your lungs and causes coughing and shortness of breath. There is no cure, but treatments can help.

Symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) include:

The symptoms of COPD usually start gradually and get worse over time. For example, when COPD reaches an advanced stage, you may find you're short of breath all the time.

COPD flare-ups

You may have times when your symptoms get worse. These are known as COPD flare-ups.

Flare-ups can be triggered by:

  • chest infections
  • breathing in smoke
  • breathing in a strong smell from things like cleaning products, hairspray or perfume
  • very hot, cold or windy weather, high pollen or high humidity

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is caused by damage to your airways and lungs.

This can include inflammation of your main breathing tubes (chronic bronchitis) or damage to tiny air sacs inside your lungs (emphysema).

You may be more likely to get COPD if you:

  • smoke, or have smoked in the past
  • have a job where you might breathe in dust, fumes, chemicals, or other types of pollution
  • had a lung condition as a child, such as asthma, or regularly breathed in other people’s cigarette smoke

It's important to get medical help if you think you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

See a GP if:

  • you're getting out of breath doing things that never used to take much effort
  • you've been coughing for 3 weeks or more
  • you keep getting chest infections

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:

  • you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and you're more short of breath than usual
  • you're coughing up blood
  • you have pain or swelling in 1 of your legs
  • you have heart palpitations – this may feel like your heart is racing, going too slowly or skipping a beat, or like a fluttering feeling in your chest

You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

  • you have severe difficulty breathing – you’re gasping, choking or not able to get words out
  • your chest feels tight or heavy
  • you have pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw
  • your lips or skin are turning very pale, blue or grey – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands
  • you feel suddenly confused – for example, you do not know where you are
Find your nearest A&E

Do not drive yourself to A&E. Ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

Bring any medicines you take with you.

If a GP thinks you may have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), they will ask if you smoke and what sort of job you have.

You may need tests, including:

  • spirometry tests (a type of breathing test) to check how much air you breathe out
  • a chest X-ray
  • blood tests

These tests are used to see how well your lungs are working and to check for any problems.

There is no cure for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but there are treatments.

Medicines

It’s likely you’ll be offered different medicines to help with symptoms of COPD.

These could include:

  • tablets or a liquid you swallow to make your mucus thinner, so it’s easier to cough up
  • inhalers that contain medicines to help widen your airways (bronchodilators)
  • inhalers that contain steroids you can use during a COPD flare-up

If your symptoms do not improve after trying these treatments, you may be offered medicines that you inject, called biologics.

Your doctor may give you some antibiotics and steroids to keep at home to use if you have a chest infection. This is called a rescue pack.

Your care team may offer you an airway clearance device. This is a small handheld device you breathe into.

It can help keep your airways open and clear the mucus out of them.

Home oxygen therapy

You may be offered home oxygen therapy if other treatments do not help.

Home oxygen therapy involves breathing in air that contains more oxygen than normal through a mask or tube connected to a device in your home.

Nebuliser

A nebuliser is a machine that delivers COPD medicines as a fine mist, so they can reach your lungs faster. You may be treated with a nebuliser if you're admitted to a hospital.

Nebulisers are available to buy, but there is no evidence they work better than inhalers for most people with COPD.

Surgery

Rarely, you may be offered surgery to help treat COPD if your symptoms are very bad, or other treatments are not helping.

Surgery usually involves removing damaged areas of your lungs so the undamaged parts can work better.

Find out more

Making lifestyle changes can help you manage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Do

  • quit smoking if you smoke – it's the main thing you can do to improve COPD

  • try to increase your activity levels with regular, gentle exercise, such as walking, cycling, yoga and tai chi

  • keep a diary of things that can cause flare-ups – this can help you avoid triggers

  • have your flu and COVID vaccinations

Your doctor may also offer to refer you for pulmonary rehabilitation. This is usually a 6- to 8-week course where you learn about how COPD affects your body and how exercises can help with symptoms.

Find out more

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can affect you physically and mentally.

Tell your doctor if you think living with COPD is affecting your mental health as they can help.

You may also find it helpful to get support from other people with COPD. This could be done in person, or online if you prefer.

There are also national charities that can offer support and information about COPD.

Asthma + Lung UK

Asthma + Lung UK is a charity for people who are living with lung conditions.