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COPD Specialist

Pulmonary Care Clinics Our Services COPD

Pulmonary Care Clinics

Pulmonology & Critical Care & Sleep Medicine Specialist located in Cooper City, FL

Up to 12 million adults across the United States have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), of whom around 120,000 die every year. If you're having breathing difficulties, Zael Vazquez, MD, and his team at Pulmonary Care Clinics in Cooper City, Florida, can help. Dr. Vazquez is a fellowship-trained expert in lung diseases who provides cutting-edge diagnostics and the most up-to-date treatments for patients with COPD. Call Pulmonary Care Clinics to see how you could live a longer, happier life despite COPD, or book an appointment online today.

COPD Q & A

What is COPD?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a term for several disorders that affect your respiratory system. COPD reduces airflow in your lungs, which means your body doesn't get all the oxygen it requires. The three main COPD conditions are:

Chronic bronchitis

Chronic bronchitis blocks your bronchi (the central airways of your lungs) with mucus and causes irritation and swelling of your airways.

Emphysema

Emphysema damages the air pockets in your lungs called alveoli. Air then gets trapped in your lungs, limiting the quantity of oxygen that can get into your bloodstream.

Refractory asthma

Refractory asthma causes tightness and swelling in your airways and is resistant to medical treatments that work with other forms of asthma.


What causes COPD?

The primary cause of COPD is smoking or breathing in significant quantities of other people's cigarette smoke. Other risk factors for COPD include members of your family having the disease and long periods of exposure to harmful fumes or dust.

COPD disorders are incurable, but with expert treatment from the team at Pulmonary Care Clinics, you can slow down the disease's progression and reduce your risk of long-term complications.


What symptoms can COPD cause?

COPD causes severe shortness of breath that worsens over time and may become so bad you struggle to do any physical activities. Other symptoms of COPD include:

  • Tightness in your chest
  • Chest heaviness
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Wheezing
  • Coughing
  • Exercise intolerance
  • Frequent respiratory infections
  • Blue fingers or lips

COPD is potentially life-threatening if you don't get the right treatment. However, the team at Pulmonary Care Clinics offers a range of treatments to increase your life expectancy and improve your quality of life.


How is COPD diagnosed and treated?

After a physical exam and medical history review, your provider at Pulmonary Care Clinics orders pulmonary function testing to diagnose your symptoms. 

These tests might include spirometry, which measures how much air you breathe and how fast you breathe out, or plethysmography to assess your lung capacity.

After confirming you have COPD, your provider at Pulmonary Care Clinics prepares a personalized treatment program for you, which might include:

  • Inhaled medications
  • Oral steroids (anti-inflammatory drugs)
  • Antibiotics for any bacterial infection
  • Pulmonary rehabilitation
  • Flu and pneumonia immunization

These treatments can't cure your COPD, but they enable you to remain more active and live longer.

To find out how you can benefit from expert COPD treatment, call Pulmonary Care Clinics today or book an appointment online.

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