Okuzeka
Medicine vocabulary · Diseases by System

COPD

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˌsiː oʊ piː ˈdiː/abbreviationCommon term

In medicine, COPD means: Short for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a long-term lung disease, usually caused by smoking, in which damaged airways make it hard to breathe out.

In Turkish: KOAH, kronik obstrüktif akciğer hastalığı

How it is used

Includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Doctors talk about COPD exacerbations, spirometry results and the patient's smoking history in pack-years. Patients may say 'emphysema' or 'bronchitis' instead.

Example sentences

  1. He has severe COPD and uses oxygen at home.

  2. This is her third COPD exacerbation since the winter started.

Common collocations

  • COPD exacerbation
  • severe COPD
  • COPD patient
  • history of COPD
  • asthmaA long-term lung condition in which the airways become narrow and inflamed, causing wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath that can come and go.
  • shortness of breathA feeling that you cannot get enough air or have to work hard to breathe; the medical word is dyspnea (UK: dyspnoea).
  • oxygen saturationThe percentage of hemoglobin in the blood that is carrying oxygen, usually measured with a clip on the finger; in healthy adults it is usually 95% or higher.
  • chronicLasting a long time, usually more than three months, or coming back again and again; used for diseases that are controlled rather than cured.
  • pneumoniaAn infection of the lungs in which the small air sacs fill with fluid or pus, causing cough, fever and difficulty breathing.

More terms: Diseases by System

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.