COPD is a disease that gets worse over time, usually gradually, but sometimes the disease gets suddenly worse, and this is known as an exacerbation. When your COPD is under control, your symptoms will be more or less the same from day to day. When you are having an exacerbation, the symptoms will worsen, and these changes are often extremely rapid. Sometimes (but not always) people are unable to move around or exercise as much as they would like in the few days before an exacerbation. You will probably feel generally unwell and very tired. During an exacerbation, you may experience:
- Increased breathlessness
- Wheezing
- Chest tightness
- Increased cough
- Excessive mucus when you cough
- A change in the color of your mucus
- Fever
- Excessive sleepiness
- Blue lips or fingernails
Exacerbations can be life-threatening, and you are likely to need immediate medical assistance especially when you experience or excessive sleepiness. These are signs that the levels of carbon dioxide in the blood are dangerously high, and could be fatal. You should seek medical help immediately if you think you are having an exacerbation.
What causes an exacerbation?
Most exacerbations are caused by infections such as colds, flu or pneumonia. An exacerbation is a sudden acceleration in the course of the disease. Changes that normally occur over a period of months or years will occur over days or weeks. You are unlikely to recover completely after an exacerbation.
Treating an exacerbation
An exacerbation is a very serious event. People who have a lot of exacerbations usually find that their COPD progresses more rapidly than people who have very few exacerbations. It is therefore vital to do as much as possible to prevent exacerbations.
Sometimes people have to go into hospital to have their symptoms brought back under control, and their health may be permanently weakened afterwards.
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