3. Isn't COPD an older person's disease?
COPD is more common in seniors, but doctors say that people younger than 65 can develop the condition, especially if they smoke.
Chronic smokers who started the habit in their teens can have COPD symptoms, such as wheezing and shortness of breath, in their 30s and 40s.
"It depends on when you start smoking," Dr. Andaz says.
Even before COPD symptoms develop, the early signs of emphysema or bronchitis may be present in the lungs, he says.
4. Is COPD fatal?
Although COPD is now the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S, it's not an automatic death sentence.
In fact, most COPD patients manage the disease and enjoy their lives, with few limitations, doctors say.
"People with COPD can generally do reasonably well with medication, inhalers and other treatments," Dr. Polito says.
However, COPD can lead to heart disease and death from respiratory failure, he adds.
"Death rates for most common cancers and heart disease are going down, but for COPD they're going up," he says.
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