PREVENTION

You can take steps to prevent COPD before it starts. If you already have COPD, you can take steps to prevent complications and slow the progression of the disease.

Prevent COPD before it starts

The best way to prevent COPD is to not start smoking or quit smoking. The main cause of COPD is smoking. If you smoke, ask your doctor what programs and products can help you quit.

If you have difficulty quitting smoking on your own, consider joining a support group. Many hospitals, businesses and community groups offer classes to help you quit smoking. Ask family and friends to support you in your efforts to quit.

Also, try to avoid lung irritants that may contribute to COPD, such as contaminated air, chemical vapors, dust, and secondhand smoke, which is smoke from other smokers in the air.

For more information on how to quit smoking, read the article Smoking and your heart and Your guide to a healthy heart (in English), from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Although these resources focus on heart health, they contain basic information on how to quit smoking. To get free help and support to quit smoking, you can call the National Cancer Institute's quit smoking helpline at 1-877-44U-QUIT (1-877-448-7848).

Prevent complications and delay the progression of COPD

If you have COPD, the most important step you can take is to quit smoking. Leaving the habit can help prevent complications and delay the progression of the disease. In addition, you should avoid exposure to the lung irritants mentioned above.

Follow your COPD treatments exactly as your doctor has told you. These treatments will help you breathe more easily, stay more active and avoid or control serious symptoms.

Ask your doctor if you should get the flu or influenza and pneumonia vaccines, and when you should do it. These vaccines can decrease your chances of getting these diseases, which represent a significant health risk for people with COPD.