What Are the Causes of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, often called COPD, refers to a group of diseases that prevent the lungs from working normally. C stands for chronic because the disease is constant and irreversible. O stands for obstructive because the disease narrows the bronchial tubes and obstructs airflow. P stands for pulmonary because the disease is in the lungs, though COPD affects other parts of the body such as the heart. D stands for disease because the condition is not a normal body process. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, COPD leads to more than 500,000 hospitalizations and more than 100,000 U.S. deaths annually.
