Copd Progression

[kaykay73]

I quit smoking 4 months ago after smoking for 25 years. I am 41 years old and had a ct scan done that showed mild emphysematous changes with mild scattered lung disease. I also, had pulmonary function tests done and my fev/fev1 was 73%. my doctor said that I do have copd because the cat scan shows it. I am very confused about all of this. Will it progress to end stage? I do not have alpha defiency.

[kaykay73]

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question.

[David Tinkelman, M.D.]

You made a wise decision to quit smoking.  My hope would be that you would never smoke again, so that you would avoid the nasty consequences of smoking for another 25 years.  What you describe suggests that you may have mild COPD, as suggested by the CT scan changes of emphysema (referred to in the official report, I assume, as Mild) and the FEV1/FVC ratio of 73%.

You should look upon these findings as confirmation that your smoking cessation was an excellent decision and give thanks that you quit at a time when your measured lung function is near normal and very unlikely to get any worse if you “stick to your guns” and never smoke again.  That is another way of saying that your lung disease will never progress to “end stage COPD.”  It is very unlikely that you would have alpha one deficiency, after having smoked for 25 years with so little measurable damage to your lungs.

Good luck