COPD treatment, diagnosis & prescriptions

Yes, a Maple doctor can present you with a range of COPD treatment options. After asking you questions about your symptoms, the doctor can send you for x-rays and other tests to assist with making a diagnosis. Afterwards, the doctor will talk to you about your treatment options, and prescribe medications like puffers for ongoing management. In Ontario, Maple also works with respirologists, who are experts in COPD management.

Yes, our physicians can prescribe medications online during your consultation. Once you accept a prescription, you’ll have the option to pick it up from any pharmacy or to have it delivered right to your door at no additional cost.

You can visit our How it Works page to learn more.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic disease affecting the lungs that causes coughing, shortness of breath and sputum production. COPD causes inflammation and blockage of the lungs as well. In North America, it’s usually caused by prolonged exposure to chemicals that harm the lungs, like those found in cigarettes.

COPD is a general term. Most often, COPD stems from two types of respiratory conditions: chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It affects over 2 million Canadians over 35, and can significantly decrease mobility, and inhibit daily life.

Chronic bronchitis is a long-term inflammation of bronchi, which are the main passageways to the lungs. It also causes the overproduction of mucus, which further blocks air from traveling in and out of the lungs.

Emphysema is a progressive lung disease that damages the lung’s alveoli (air sacs), causing them to weaken and break. Healthy lungs have many small air sacs, whereas lungs affected by emphysema have large air sacs, because the walls between the small sacs have ruptured from damage. This makes it harder to push air out, causing fatigue and difficulty breathing.

There’s no cure for COPD, but the condition can be managed with proper care.

COPD doesn’t cause immediate symptoms. Signs of COPD develop over time, and as the lungs sustain more damage, complications begin to arise. At that point, symptoms include:

• Shortness of breath, especially during physical activity
• Fatigue
• Wheezing
• Coughing up mucus
• Prolonged cough, upwards of three months
• Blue lips or fingernail beds
• Frequent respiratory infections or pneumonia
• Unexplained weight loss

Many people with COPD experience flare ups, where symptoms like the ones above are triggered for extended amounts of time, sometimes causing hospitalization.

COPD flare ups can be avoided or managed if the affected person is careful to note and avoid what triggers their flare ups, and has the necessary tools at hand for effective management of their COPD.

Symptoms of a flare up include:

• Unexplained, persistent tiredness
• Increased shortness of breath
• Cold symptoms, like sore throat
• Fever
• Mucus from coughing that’s green, tan, or contains blood
• Confusion
• Chest pain

In most North American cases, COPD is caused by long term exposure to lung-irritants like chemicals.

In Canada, it’s most commonly found in smokers, and sometimes affects people who work around chemicals and debris, like on construction sites.

Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are common conditions that are synonymous with COPD, and exposure to cigarette smoke, especially if a person is already asthmatic, can also be a contributing factor.

Though it is extremely rare, COPD can also be the result of genetics. Alpha-1-antitrypsin is a protein produced by the liver, and some people have a natural deficiency that causes the liver to produce low amounts of Alpha-1-antitrypsin, causing poor lung development.

COPD can also occur because of age, as evidenced by the fact that a vast majority of those living with COPD are over 35.

Several triggers can cause COPD to worsen. These include:

• Environmental factors: like smog, or poor air quality outdoors, or cigarette smoke and harsh household cleaners indoors
• Close contact with someone else who is ill with respiratory infections like the flu, since catching the flu compounds breathing difficulties for people with COPD

COPD diagnosis can be difficult, because symptoms, especially in smokers, are common to several types of conditions that create difficulties with breathing, like asthma. Usually, to diagnose COPD a doctor will ask questions about your medical history, and look for details regarding exposure to any chemicals that could have damaged your lungs, including your smoking history.

There are also several tests that can help with COPD diagnosis, like chest X Rays, pulmonary function tests, arterial blood gas analysis (a test that shows how well your blood is carrying oxygen throughout your body), a CT scan to take a closer look at your lungs and determine the extent of the damage, or a lab test for the rare chance that you have alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency.

While both asthma and COPD have similar symptoms, like difficulty breathing, they’re not the same thing. COPD develops over time, and is the result of exposure to things like chemicals or cigarette smoke that degrades the lung long-term. Also, it gets worse over time.

On the other hand, asthma doesn’t necessarily continue to worsen, and isn’t directly related to long-term lung degeneration. Young people have asthma, too, whereas most people with COPD are over 35.

Critically, in-between symptoms, asthmatics return to normal lung capacity. People with COPD don’t.

Maple is a virtual care platform that connects you with our network of Canadian-licensed doctors, nurse practitioners and specialists via secure text, audio or video call. Sign in to your Maple account to start a visit. Learn more about how Maple works here.

A visit works a lot like an in-person appointment. A doctor or nurse practitioner will ask about your symptoms, review your health history and recommend a treatment plan that's right for you. Not every visit leads to a prescription. Sometimes, you might need to see someone in person. When that happens, we'll help you figure out what comes next.

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• Daily visits: one visit a day with a doctor or nurse practitioner for each family member in your household
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• Personal Health Check-Ins: personalized, evidence-based proactive care screenings to help you stay on top of your health
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• Specialists: see a specialist in days, not months. No referral necessary.
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Membership can't be combined with other offerings, such as private insurance coverage and provincial programs, where available. A Healthcare Spending Account (HSA) may cover your membership fees. Check with your HSA provider for details.

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