In China, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death after cancer and cerebrovascular disease, with a total prevalence of 8.2%. COPD can be caused by smoking, environmental pollution, genetics, etc. Unfortunately, there is no cure for COPD so far. However, lifestyle modification and reasonable treatment can alleviate the symptoms, slow down the progression of the disease, and allow patients to maintain a normal life. Lifestyle modifications If you smoke, the first thing to consider is quitting. It’s not easy to stop smoking, and you should consider complementary therapies if necessary. Things to know about quitting smoking If you don’t smoke, try to avoid inhaling second-hand smoke, or dust, smoke and other toxic gases. Try to go out as little as possible in hazy weather, and wear a mask that filters PM2.5 particles if you must go out. COPD patients are often unable to consume enough energy and nutrients due to fatigue and shortness of breath. They can try to eat smaller meals and take nutritional supplements under the guidance of a doctor. COPD patients can choose gentle exercise. Maintaining an exercise habit helps to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Medication Bronchodilators relax the muscles around the airways and help to open them up for smoother breathing. Depending on the condition, your doctor may prescribe short- or long-acting bronchodilators. Short-acting bronchodilators (e.g., salbutamol, levosalbutamol, and ipratropium) last for 4-6 hours and are used only when needed; long-acting bronchodilators (e.g., tiotropium bromide, salmeterol, formoterol, fortefungin, indatropium, and adiponium) last for 12 hours and can be used every day. Bronchodilators can reach the lungs directly through an inhaler. Inhaled steroids can reduce airway inflammation and prevent worsening of the condition. Medications in this category include fluticasone and budesonide for COPD patients whose condition often worsens. For more severe COPD patients, doctors prescribe both bronchodilators and hormones. For COPD patients with moderate to severe acute exacerbations, doctors will prescribe short-term oral steroids (usually 5 days) to prevent exacerbations. However, long-term use can have more serious side effects. Phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors (PDE4 inhibitors), also known as roflumilast, are a newer type of COPD medication for COPD patients who are severely ill and have chronic bronchitis. This medication reduces airway inflammation and relaxes the airways to help breathing. Common side effects include diarrhea and weight loss. Roflumilast Theophylline is a very inexpensive medication that improves whistling and prevents the condition from worsening. A low dose is recommended as side effects such as nausea and headache may occur as the dose increases. Acute bronchitis, pneumonia and influenza are terrible for COPD patients and can be severe and fatal. So antibiotics are very necessary in case of rosy infections to avoid acute deterioration, but antibiotics are not recommended for prophylactic deterioration. Vaccines As mentioned earlier, pneumonia and influenza can be fatal to COPD patients, so pneumococcal and influenza vaccines are strongly recommended for COPD patients. Lung Treatment Oxygen therapy is suitable for COPD patients with moderate to severe, low oxygen levels in the blood, and can be used during activity and sleep, or all the time. Oxygen therapy protects organs from damage, improves quality of life, and is the only treatment that can prolong life. Many hospitals and wellness centers offer pulmonary rehabilitation programs, which include exercise programs, disease management training, nutrition, and psychological counseling to help patients maintain a healthy lifestyle in a holistic way. Surgery For some patients with severe emphysema, medications are no longer enough to relieve symptoms and they need surgery to improve their condition. When the walls of the air sacs in the lungs are destroyed, large spaces of air bubbles called macules form. As these blisters grow larger and cause breathing problems, doctors need to remove them through a pulmonary herniotomy to help the patient breathe. For some patients, a lung reduction surgery is used to remove some of the damaged lung tissue so that the remaining healthy lung tissue has more room to expand and the diaphragm can work more efficiently. Lung transplantation can help improve the quality of life for some patients, but there are certain risks, such as organ rejection, and the patient will have to take immunosuppressive medication for the rest of his or her life. Summary We hope that through our introduction, COPD patients and their families have a certain understanding of the current treatment options available to them, and that the treatment is coupled with conditioning, so that all COPD patients can enjoy a normal state of life.