Texas Tech Health Check

When Breathing Gets Hard: Understanding COPD

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, referred to as COPD, is a progressive disease which can, over time, limit your ability to do basic activities such as walking, cooking or taking care of yourself. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, it is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. and is two times more common in rural areas than it is in large cities. Tushi Singh, M.D., Texas Tech Physicians pulmonologist, is our guest for this episode. Dr. Singh explains to us what causes COPD, what treatments are available and what we can do to protect ourselves from developing COPD.