Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an umbrella term for a group of conditions that cause an obstruction to the airflow in the lungs either by:
Damage to the air sacs (alveoli) and breathing tubes (bronchi and bronchioles).
Swelling and sputum/mucus production in the breathing tubes.
The term chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) stands for:
C – chronic – long term
O – obstructive – partly blocked
P – pulmonary – the lungs
D – disease – or illness
