copd

[cutler]

my dad has copd and he suffers from it really badly i was just woundering how long he will live for he is 60 now and has had this problem for 5 years will he be hear in 2 years time

[Sunny602]

COPD is an unpredictable disease...I have seen people live with it for decades. I even had one friend who lived with end stage COPD (FEV1 less than 30%) for over 10 years, but he was very very diligent with caring for himself. He exercised when he could, had quit smoking years prior to his diagnosis, tried to eat well and stay away from irritants that exacerbated his illness. He also took the initiative to become very familiar with the disease, keep up with the latest treatments and recommendations. Not only that, he also founded a support group to help others with lung disease and COPD which I now help manage (OurCOPD...It is a MSN based support group with tons of info Here is the addy: http://groups.msn.com/ourcopd/general.msnw)
By badly, is your father on O2, have severe shortness of breath etc? If he does then that would put him as severe COPD probably. There are stages of COPD, of course mild, moderate and severe depending on lung function. One thing you have to remember about lung function results, they are just numbers. They don't tell you how long you have to live, everyone is different with this disease. That's why I could never say how long your father has. Yes, his life will be shortened but by how much isn't easily determined.
I hope this helps..Sunny