7 Signs Your Lungs Are in the Danger Zone
4. Swollen ankles
5. Trouble sleeping or staying asleep
7. A bluish tinge to lips or fingernails
By Melanie Haiken March 9, 2012, 5:01 pm
We hear a lot about the risks of lung
cancer — but less about a lung condition that’s just as common and debilita ting, called COPD.
This term, which stands for chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, refers to a combination of two
conditions, emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis, both of which are
caused by lung damage from smoking or exposure to other lung irrita nts, such as asbestos. Whether you’re a smoker, a
former smoker, or just unlucky, you can develop COPD as a
result of damage to your lungs that gradually limits their ability to take in
oxygen.
When your lungs aren’t functioning at full
capacity, symptoms begin to appear that are sometimes so subtle that you may
not recognize them as such. And because COPD is a progressive disease that
can’t be slowed without treatment
— and because it’s the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.
1. Shortness of breath
“Many people start to experience shortness
of breath, and they just think ‘I’m old, I’m out of shape,’ and they don’t do
anything about it other than cutting back their activity level,” says Byron
Thomashow, a physician and professor at Columbia University
Medical Center
The problem with this, Thomashow says, is
that the lung damage that constitutes COPD can’t be reversed; all you can do is
halt or slow the progression of the disease. And if you don’t start treating it
until you’re already out of breath just walking around the house, you’ve got a
lot less to work with. Not only that, but cutting back is the last thing you
want to do to prevent COPD
progression; maintaining and even increasing your activity level is key to
keeping the lung function that you have.
One thing to look for: When you’re
climbing steps or exercising, do you have trouble inhaling a deep breath? An
even more telltale sign: Do you take the elevator instead of the stairs to
avoid this feeling? Experiment with different activities to see if you have
shortness of breath when you increase your level of exertion, and note if there
have been any changes over time. “I ask people, how’s your breathing compared
to last year — can you do what you used to do a year ago?” says Thomashow. If
you feel your ability to draw a deep breath is declining, ask your doctor to
perform lung function tests to give you a clear picture of your lung health.
2. Frequent or worsening coughs
Everyone gets a cough once in awhile, but
if you seem to be getting them more frequently, or they linger for a long time
or become chronic, it’s time to talk to your doctor. COPD inflames the
bronchial tubes and the tiny sacs called alveoli that line the lungs, making
them less flexible and elastic. When that happens, the walls of the airways
thicken and produce more mucus than usual, which clogs them up.
What you’ll notice is a phlegmy cough that
feels like the type that usually accompanies the flu — except you don’t have
other flu symptoms. If you cough up mucus that’s any other color than clear,
that can be a sign your condition is worsening, says Byron Thomashow of Columbia
One interesting fact to be aware of: If
you’re still smoking, your sputum production may not increase despite advancing
COPD, whereas sputum production tends to increase after you quit.
3. Morning headaches
One of the more mysterious symptoms of COPD is waking up after a night’s
sleep with a dull, throbbing headache. “What’s happening is that you’re not
breathing deeply enough at night, and the carbon dioxide builds up while you’re
sleeping,” says physician Norman Edelman, chief medical officer for the
American Lung Association. The buildup of carbon dioxide causes blood vessels
in the brain to dilate, resulting in headaches.
Many people don’t connect the headaches to
COPD, though; instead they treat them as a separate symptom. But unless you
treat the underlying cause — making sure you get enough oxygen into your lungs
while you sleep — the headaches won’t go away. Talk to your doctor about
setting up a treatment regimen for COPD designed to
reduce inflammation and increase the absorbent capacity of the lungs
4. Swollen ankles
As COPD advances, it becomes intertwined
with heart failure, because your circulatory system isn’t getting the oxygen it
needs to be healthy. This can lead to fluid buildup, which is most easily
recognizable as swollen feet and ankles. “As lungs get progressively worse, the
ability of the body to compensate goes down and the heart can’t pump strongly
enough,” says Norman Edelman of the American Lung Association.
When the heart can’t pump enough blood to
supply the liver and kidneys, they can’t perform their necessary functions of
flushing out toxins and removing fluid. The result: the same type of edema many
people experience while flying or women experience when pregnant.
5. Trouble sleeping or staying asleep
Ask yourself this: Do you pile up pillows
to raise your chest and head and make it easier to breathe while you sleep? Do
you sleep in a chair, such as a recliner, because breathing’s easier in that
position? It’s also possible that you sleep flat but wake up feeling unwell or
even dizzy.
Because lying flat forces your lungs to work
harder, many people with COPD find they have trouble sleeping deeply — but they
may not realize it’s the lung condition causing it. “Sleep is also hard for
people with COPD because they may cough throughout the night, waking themselves
up or interrupting deep sleep,” says Byron Thomashow of the COPD Foundation.
The relationship between COPD and poor
sleep gets complicated, because many people with COPD also develop sleep apnea
and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), neither of which is conducive to
deep, refreshing sleep.
The bottom line: If you wake regularly
throughout the night with breathing difficulties or coughing, or you wake up in
the morning feeling weak, unrested, and possibly with a headache, talk to your
doctor.
6. A barrel chest
One informal test that some doctors use to
check for COPD progression is to have you breathe while raising your arms over
your head. Why? They’re looking for a change known as “barrel chest,” which
describes a particular posture and body shape that tends to develop as a
secondary symptom of COPD.
As a result of chronic inflammation, the
lungs become enlarged and push the diaphragm downward, which makes it harder
for the diaphragm to contract as efficiently. The chest wall becomes enlarged
as well, weakening muscles in the chest, neck, and between the ribs; these are
known as the “accessory respiratory muscles.” When this happens, people with
COPD unconsciously try to compensate by leaning forward when sitting, with
their arms on their knees or in front of them. This posture stabilizes the
upper chest and shoulders, making it easier to use the accessory breathing
muscles.
7. A bluish tinge to lips or fingernails
Over time, if your blood doesn’t circulate
enough oxygen throughout your body,
your lips and fingernails can take on a blue or gray tone. Sometimes the color,
known as cyanosis, is most apparent in the nail beds; some people develop an
overall grayish-blue tinge to the skin. The cause: Oxygen-rich blood is bright
red, while blood with less oxygen turns dark and bluish-colored.
In dark-skinned people, the discoloration
is most visible in the lips, gums, and around the eyes, and it can be easier to
spot. Cyanosis usually occurs when oxygen levels in the blood drop below 90
percent. A doctor can check this for you; you can also monitor it yourself
using a finger pulse oximeter, available in medical supply stores.
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