COPD means ' chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease ' (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). In COPD, the respiratory tract is narrowed by inflammation and in severe form the lungs are damaged. Smoking is often the main cause of this damage. Chronic bronchitis occurs only in adults. When children have ' bronchitis ', this is usually due to a virus infection.
In the Netherlands, 2% of all people diagnosed with COPD. The disease is particularly common in the elderly (17% of people over 80 years of age have COPD). In the Netherlands, just like in the rest of the world, people with COPD are becoming involved. These disorders used to coincide with asthma under the name CARA, but this term is no longer officially used.
Understanding Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease