Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Warning Signs: How to Know If It’s an Emergency

Severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may prevent you from doing basic activities, such as walking, cooking, or taking care of yourself. Other COPD symptoms are more serious and require medical attention ASAP. Seek emergency care if:

• You can’t catch your breath or talk

• Your lips or fingernails turn blue or gray (a sign of low oxygen level in your blood)

• Your heart is beating fast

• Or people around you notice you are not mentally alert.

These symptoms will likely require in-hospital treatment. If you have COPD, you can lessen your chances of an emergency by checking in with your doctor about your status. Certain lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking if you smoke, and treatments can help slow the progression of the disease — and help you breathe easier.

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Written by:

Brittany Doohan

Brittany Doohan was the Content Director at HealthiNation and is currently the Editorial Director at Medscape. Through her work with Medscape, she won a Silver Telly Award in May 2022 for "Sleepless Nation: A Public Health Epidemic — Episode 2: A Decade Without a Diagnosis." She has worked in health journalism and video production for more than 8 years, and loves the challenge of explaining complex topics in an easy-to-understand and creative way.

Reviewed by:

Sanjai Sinha, MD

Sanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified physician with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in internal medicine.

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