{"id":10340,"date":"2025-11-03T20:36:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T20:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/?p=10340"},"modified":"2025-11-03T20:36:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T20:36:11","slug":"copd-myths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/copd-myths\/","title":{"rendered":"COPD Myths"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-1729486983.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10341 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-1729486983-300x215.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-1729486983-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-1729486983-1024x735.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-1729486983-768x551.jpg 768w, https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-1729486983-1536x1103.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-1729486983-418x300.jpg 418w, https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-1729486983.jpg 2043w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a group of health conditions, such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, that limit airflow in the lungs.<\/p>\n<p>Many myths and misconceptions exist about COPD. Here are some misconceptions surrounding COPD:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Myth #1: Only people who smoke get COPD<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>COPD is often associated with smoking, as smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products is the most common cause of the damage done to the lungs and airways. However, nearly 30% of people with COPD have never smoked a cigarette. Nonsmoking causes of COPD include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Long-term exposure to polluted air, such as smog in an urban area or dust and fumes at a workplace<\/li>\n<li>Genetics plays a role, specifically a condition called Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (Alpha-1)<\/li>\n<li>Asthma that\u2019s active or even inactive. Researchers have found that 29% of people with asthma eventually receive a COPD diagnosis<\/li>\n<li>Childhood respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Myth #2: COPD is rare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over six in 100 adults in the U.S. had a COPD diagnosis in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>That means millions of adults across the country have received a diagnosis of COPD. The actual proportion of adults with COPD may be higher due to delays in obtaining a diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Myth #3: Exercise is too hard if you have COPD<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shortness of breath, wheezing, a chronic cough, and fatigue can all be a part of COPD. Any one of these symptoms can make exercising challenging.<\/p>\n<p>Moderate exercise may not affect your lungs. In some cases, exercise can minimize the symptoms of COPD while strengthening the heart and helping reduce stress.<\/p>\n<p>Try to build up to 20 to 30 minutes of exercise three to four times a week. Combine safe cardiovascular activities such as walking or biking with stretching and strength-building. It won\u2019t be easy to start exercising. Speak with your healthcare provider about building an exercise plan that works for you. They may be able to connect you with a respiratory therapist for breathing techniques and exercises you can do. It is recommended that you speak to your doctor about your health before starting a new exercise regimen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Myth #4: Only older people develop COPD<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>COPD is more common in people 65 or older. However, younger people can also develop this condition.<\/p>\n<p>A 2023 study found that COPD affected more than 1.6% of adults ages 20 to 50 in the U.S. Adults aged 35 to 50 had a higher risk of COPD than those under the age of 35.<\/p>\n<p>A history of smoking or secondhand smoke exposure significantly increases the risk of COPD in young adults.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Myth #5: COPD is a man\u2019s disease<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that women are more likely to develop COPD than men in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>More women than men have also died from COPD since 2000 in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>Exposure to tobacco smoke and other pollutants raises the risk of COPD for anyone; however, women can experience more harmful effects than men from these pollutants.<\/p>\n<p>Women with COPD also tend to get a diagnosis later than men, after the disease has progressed and treatment is less effective. This may contribute to reduced survival in women with COPD.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Myth #6: Nothing can be done to treat COPD<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>COPD treatments are available to help limit symptoms and potentially slow the progression of COPD.<\/p>\n<p>Your treatment plan can include lifestyle changes like quitting smoking (if you smoke), as well as one or more of the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Vaccinations<\/li>\n<li>Medications<\/li>\n<li>Pulmonary rehabilitation<\/li>\n<li>Supplemental oxygen<\/li>\n<li>Lung transplant<\/li>\n<li>Surgery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Talk with your healthcare provider to learn more about your treatment options.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Myth #7: There\u2019s no point in quitting smoking after you develop COPD<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Avoiding tobacco smoke is one of the most important things you can do to manage COPD.<\/p>\n<p>If you smoke, cutting back and quitting can help limit symptoms and slow the progression of COPD.<\/p>\n<p>Although more research is necessary, it may also be helpful to avoid e-cigarettes and other vaping products.<\/p>\n<p>Avoiding smoking and vaping altogether is likely your healthiest option. Talk with a healthcare provider to learn about smoking cessation counseling, medication, or other resources that can help you cut back and quit smoking or vaping.<\/p>\n<p class=\"disclaimer\">All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.  Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page.   You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter.<strong>  PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.<\/strong> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a group of health conditions, such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, that limit airflow in the lungs. Many myths and misconceptions exist about COPD. Here are some misconceptions surrounding COPD: Myth #1: Only &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/copd-myths\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10340"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10342,"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10340\/revisions\/10342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flushinghospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}