Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a progressive condition that has no cure, but treatment can help you manage the symptoms, slow its progression and improve your quality of life. Treatment for COPD has evolved since the 1960s, and other medications have replaced potassium iodide as a standard therapy. Lifestyle choices, including a healthy diet, regular exercise and quitting smoking, also can help your body combat the disease and improve your ability to engage in the activities you love.
Definition
COPD is a group of diseases that inhibit your ability to exhale. You may feel tightness in your chest, and you may experience coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath. The two main components of this family are chronic asthmatic bronchitis and emphysema. Chronic asthmatic bronchitis is an inflammation of the air pathways into your lungs. The swelling narrows the passageways and also may cause you to produce excess mucus, which clogs the already-narrowed airways. Emphysema causes damage to the air sacs in your lungs, called the alveoli, which provide the surface area where oxygen that you inhale changes places with the carbon dioxide your body needs to expel. The alveoli may collapse when you exhale and trap air inside. This interferes with your ability to exhale and requires your chest muscles to work harder to compensate.
Cause and Development
Long-term cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Long-term inhalation of other irritants, such as cigar or pipe smoke, pollution, chemicals, secondhand smoke or dust, also may place you at risk. Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, a rare genetic condition, causes COPD in a small number of cases. The disease develops gradually, and most people do not experience symptoms until they have significant lung damage. Usually, this occurs after the age of 40 years.
Potassium Iodide
Potassium iodide and ephedrine formed the standard drug cocktail doctors used to treat COPD in the 1960s. A salt form of iodide, potassium iodide thins mucus secretions and helps your body to expel excess mucus. While this offers some relief for COPD, other drugs, such as bronchodilators, which relax the muscles around your airways, offer more effective and immediate relief. Steroids are effective in reducing inflammation associated with COPD, but long-term use poses serious health hazards, including high blood pressure, skeletal damage, diabetes and cataracts. Potassium iodide is an over-the-counter medication, but consult your doctor before taking it because it may cause complications if you are pregnant or nursing, if you have Addison's disease, cystic fibrosis, kidney disease, tuberculosis or any thyroid complications or if you have experienced an allergic reaction to iodine or related substances.
Other Treatments
For advanced cases of COPD, oxygen therapy -- either at night or around the clock -- may help to ease breathing discomfort and increase your activity level. Surgery to remove some of your damaged lung tissue may help to increase space for more healthy tissue to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. A single lung transplant also may make breathing easier. Both surgeries carry significant risks and may not improve longevity over nonsurgical treatment, according to experts at the Mayo Clinic. In acute cases, your doctor may use a mechanical ventilator to help you overcome a crisis. A pulmonary rehabilitation program, which may include nutritional counseling, advice on breathing more efficiently and exercise to strengthen your breathing muscles, may help improve your quality of life and expand your range of activities.
