Talking FACS
Host: Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Assistant Director for Family and Consumer Sciences Extension, University of Kentucky
Guest: Natalie Jones, Extension Specialist for Family Health
Episode 35, Season 2
0:02 Welcome to Talking FACS; what you need to know about family, food, finance and fitness. Hosted by the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program, our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families and communities to improve quality of life.
0:21 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Hello and welcome back to Talking FACS. This is your host, Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Assistant Director for Family Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
Today, I'm pleased to have joining me, Natalie Jones, our Extension Specialist for Family Health. Welcome, Natalie.
0:35 Natalie Jones: Thanks for having me.
0:37 Dr. Hunter: Natalie, today, you are going to share with our listeners about COPD and COPD prevention. And so, COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Probably not something we're going to say a lot throughout the podcast. We're going to shorten it down to just COPD.
But this is something that I feel like we see often on the news; tremendous amount of advertisements both on TV or social media, but it's not something that really and truly, at least, I know quite a bit about. So, I'm excited today to learn more.
But let's start with just the very basics of, “What is COPD?”
1:16 Natalie Jones: So, again, just to reiterate, COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. So, also known as emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
So, this is a serious disease that partially blocks airways or tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs and it worsens over time, making it harder for people to breathe. So, obviously, this is a really important issue.
And typically, when you hear doctors talk about COPD, they're going to be referring to those two different types of lung disease; chronic bronchitis or emphysema.
1:53 Dr. Hunter: Okay. How common is COPD?
1:55 Natalie Jones: Yeah, it's pretty common. And I think it's more common than people realize. So, COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States. There are currently more than 12 million people who have been diagnosed and an additional 12 million who likely have it, but they don't know that they have it.
The good news is that COPD is preventable and treatable. In Kentucky, tobacco smoke is that a key factor in the development and progression of COPD.
So, we're going to talk about different ways that we can reduce COPD development. But just for a frame of reference, the state with the highest COPD presence is West Virginia, with 12 percent of people in West Virginia being diagnosed. So, again, diagnosed. So, there could be higher with COPD. And in Kentucky, we have eleven point three percent of our population that has been diagnosed with COPD.
2:53 Dr. Hunter: So, you mentioned that there are 12 million people that likely have COPD, but do not know it. So, how do people detect COPD early? And if they can detect it early, how does that change, in terms of the course and how it progresses?
3:10 Natalie Jones: Yeah. So, symptoms for COPD can be different for each person. But some common symptoms that you may notice to keep in mind, if you think that you may have COPD or someone that you know has these issues would be an increased shortness of breath, frequent coughing. And this can be with or without mucus or even that wheezing in between breaths that you can hear a lot about. So, that obstruction of air, trouble taking deep breaths and then tightness in your chest.
So, again, there could be many causes for these symptoms getting worse, such as a lung infection or a heart disease related to severe long damage. So, really the best thing that you can do is to call your healthcare provider if you notice any of these symptoms.
3:58 Dr. Hunter: Are there people who are specifically at higher risk of these symptoms and of developing COPD?
4:04 Natalie Jones: Yes. So, current or former smokers, because smoking is the main cause of COPD. The more a person smokes, then the more likely they are to develop COPD. People with a history of asthma. People over the age of 65 and then American Indians or Alaskan Natives.
The reason why Kentucky has such a high rate of COPD is because of tobacco smoke being the key factor in the development. So, really trying to avoid tobacco smoke, home and workplace air pollutants, as well as any respiratory infections that could come from being around those different environments.
4:44 Dr. Hunter: So, what are some things that people can do now to breathe better and improve their quality of life?
4:50 Natalie Jones: So, we're going to focus on the top three things that you can do for COPD. Number 1; we've tried to re-emphasize this is to quit smoking. So, if you smoke, quitting is the best thing that you can do to prevent more damage to your lungs.
So, you can talk to your healthcare provider or someone in your local community about options for quitting smoking. And obviously, quitting smoking will also help with all other types of health outcomes.
The second is to avoid exposure to pollutants. So, try to stay away from things that could irritate your lungs, especially if you already have been diagnosed with COPD.
So, this could include dust or strong fumes, staying inside when the outside air quality is poor and avoid places where there could be cigarette smoke, where you would be getting that secondhand smoke.
The third is to visit your provider regularly. So, this is important for everyone, no matter if you are concerned about having COPD or not. But it is especially important if you are having COPD symptoms or if you have been diagnosed with COPD because COPD can increase and become worse, which makes breathing harder and breathing is part of living.
So, you need to see your doctor or your healthcare provider on a regular basis. Always bring a list of medications that you are taking to the office and let your provider know if your symptoms have gotten worse or if you have new symptoms as well.
6:25 Dr. Hunter: And, I think that that's something that we really just cannot stress enough of communicating openly with your healthcare provider and sharing any symptoms; that you that you may have or about your health history that might be informational to them so that they can work with you to identify best possible treatments or to really and truly just help individuals live their best possible quality of life.
Natalie, thank you so much for joining us today and bringing us more information and helping us better understand COPD and how to possibly recognize some of those symptoms and to follow up with our healthcare providers.
7:02 Natalie Jones: Thank you.
7:04 Thank you for listening to Talking FACS. We deliver programs focusing on nutrition, health, resource management, family development and civic engagement.
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Visit us online at fcs.uky.edu to learn more about the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension program or contact your local extension agent for Family and Consumer Sciences. We build strong families. It starts with us.