5 Myths About COPD That Can Actually Make You Sicker

Those who are familiar with COPD often have misconceptions, notes Sandra Adams, MD, a pulmonologist and a professor of medicine at UT Health in San Antonio. But the more you know, the better you’ll feel. Here are five COPD myths and the facts that everyone needs to know.

1. Myth: A COPD Diagnosis Is a Death Sentence

“People live a long time with COPD,” Dr. Adams says. “Especially now that we have many therapies that improve your chances of living longer with COPD.” COPD never goes away, and it’s a progressive disease; but it’s one that can be managed, she says. It requires that you do some things that may be really tough, like quitting smoking and getting plenty of exercise. But if you work closely with your healthcare team and follow your treatment plan, you’ll find that COPD is neither a death sentence nor a daily struggle.

2. Myth: It’s Too Late for Me to Quit Smoking

Adams hears many COPD patients say that it won’t do them any good to quit smoking since their lungs are already too damaged. “That’s absolutely false,” she says. Quitting smoking is the most important thing you can do to live better with COPD. If you have COPD and you’re still smoking, you’re not giving your treatments a chance to work.

“The fact is, smoking makes COPD worse, but quitting prolongs life and delays the decline in lung function that occurs in those who continue to use cigarettes,” says Nicola Hanania, MD, a professor in the pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine departments at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

While smoking is the most common cause of COPD, environmental factors may also contribute, explains John Carl, MD, a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine in Ohio. “And the reason some smokers never develop COPD and some never-smokers get the condition is not fully understood, but genetic factors probably play a role in who develops it,” he adds.

3. Myth: COPD Is the Same Thing as Asthma

While both are inflammatory conditions that cause coughing and wheezing, asthma and COPD are very different diseases, Adams says. About 15 percent of people with COPD also have asthma, she notes. Dr. Carl agrees. “It’s not uncommon for people with COPD to also have some degree of asthma. While asthma can develop at any age, most people get asthma as children or teens. COPD develops slowly over time, and most people are 40 or older when symptoms become noticeable.

Asthma can flare if you encounter allergens such as dust, pollen, or pet dander, but you may be symptom-free between episodes. People with COPD experience flares or exacerbations when they get a cold or an upper respiratory infection, as well as after exposure to smoke or other lung irritants. People can treat asthma with long-term medications to reduce airway inflammation and quick-relief or “rescue” bronchodilators for asthma symptoms such as wheezing.

“COPD patients need to be on long-lasting inhalers as opposed to rescue medications,” Adams says. “Along with bronchodilators to widen the airways, some with COPD patients may benefit from anti-inflammatory drugs, such as steroids, or anticholinergic agents to decrease mucus secretion, or antibiotics to treat interval infections,” adds Carl.

4. Myth: People With COPD Shouldn’t Exercise

Many people with COPD are afraid to exercise because they fear it is unsafe and will make them short of breath. Kathrin Nicolacakis, MD, a pulmonologist at Cleveland Clinic, explains that, on the contrary, people with COPD need to exercise.

“Exercise is important when you have COPD because it decreases your chances of having infections and needing hospital admissions,” she says. Exercise doesn’t drain your energy. Rather, it energizes you and helps you feel less tired. Talk to your COPD doctor about appropriate exercises and breathing techniques in pulmonary rehabilitation, and maintain that level of exercise going forward, Dr. Nicolacakis says.

“Activity and exercise are encouraged in patients with COPD, and formal programs, sometimes with the aid of oxygen, may benefit those with severe disease,” notes Dr. Hanania. “Doctors especially encourage walking, but stretching the upper and lower extremities is another type of exercise that can be helpful,” he adds.

5. Myth: If I Have to Go on Oxygen, It Means I’m Dying

Additional reporting by Jennifer Geddes.