COPD: When to Call a Doctor

Call the emergency room if you experience:

• 
  
  Blocking of breathing.
  
  


• 
  
  Difficulty breathing.
  
  


• 
  
  Severe chest pain.
  
  

Call a doctor immediately if you have previously been diagnosed with COPD and you:

• 
  
  Expecting blood.
  
  


• 
  
  Have developed shortness of breath or wheezing, which is rapidly aggravated.
  
  


• 
  
  You experience chest pain.
  
  


• 
  
  Cough more often than usual and notice a change in the color of the expectorated mucus.
  
  


• 
  
  Have noticed swelling of the legs or abdomen.
  
  


• 
  
  Developed a high temperature.
  
  


• 
  
  Developed the symptoms of influenza.
  
  

If your symptoms (cough, mucus, and / or dyspnea) suddenly deteriorate, it can be an exacerbation of COPD.

[caption id="attachment_603" align="aligncenter" width="256"] COPD Doctor[/caption]

Call a doctor if:

• 
  
  Your medicine does not help you.
  
  


• 
  
  Symptoms gradually worsen.
  
  

You have a cold and:

• 
  
  Your fever lasts longer than 2 - 3 days.
  
  


• 
  
  Dyspnea became much worse.
  
  


• 
  
  Cough aggravated or lasts longer than 7 to 10 days.
  
  


• 
  
  You have not been diagnosed with COPD, but you have symptoms. Smoking increases the likelihood of COPD.
  
  


• 
  
  You're coughing up blood.
  
  

Consult your doctor

If you are diagnosed with COPD, ask your doctor for advice on:

• 
  
  Cessation of smoking.
  
  


• 
  
  Annual vaccination against influenza.
  
  


• 
  
  Vaccination against pneumonia.
  
  


• 
  
  Physical training and rehabilitation programs for the lungs.
  
  


• 
  
  Any renewal or substitution of medication or therapy.
  
  

Who to contact

To medical professionals who can diagnose and treat COPD, include:

• 
  
  Family doctors.
  
  


• 
  
  Therapists.
  
  


• 
  
  Nurses of the highest qualification.
  
  


• 
  
  Assistant physician.
  
  

You can also be referred to a pulmonologist if:

• 
  
  Your diagnosis of COPD is uncertain.
  
  


• 
  
  You have unusual symptoms.
  
  


• 
  
  You are under 50 and do not smoke.
  
  


• 
  
  You often go to the hospital because of sudden exacerbations of breathlessness.
  
  


• 
  
  You need long-term oxygen therapy or corticosteroid treatment.
  
  


• 
  
  You are thinking about surgery, for the purpose of a lung transplant or a reduction in lung volume.