What is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, COPD?

To understand COPD, it helps to understand how the lungs
work. The air that you breathe goes down your windpipe into tubes in your lungs called bronchial tubes or airways.

Within the lungs, your bronchial tubes branch into thousands of smaller, thinner tubes called bronchioles. These tubes end in bunches of tiny round air sacs called alveoli (al-VEE-uhl-eye).

Small blood vessels called capillaries run through the walls of the air sacs.

When air reaches the air sacs, the oxygen in the air passes through the air sac walls into the blood in the capillaries.

 

At the same time, carbon dioxide (a waste gas) moves from the capillaries into the air sacs. This process is called gas exchange.

The airways and air sacs are elastic (stretchy).

When you breathe in, each air sac fills up with air like a small balloon. When you breathe out, the air sacs deflate and the air goes out.

In COPD, less air flows in and out of the airways because of one or more of the following:

• The airways and air sacs lose their elastic quality.

• The walls between many of the air sacs are destroyed.

• The walls of the airways become thick and inflamed.

• The airways make more mucus than usual, which tends to clog them.

 

 

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Related Info

INcontrol Home
What is COPD?
Understanding COPD
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If you are a MDwise member with this condition and want to participate in our programs, please call us at 1.800.356.1204 or 317.630.2831 if you are in the Indianapolis area.

 

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