Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has four stages, I to IV, with stage I being the mildest stage and stage IV the most advanced.
These stages reflect the fact that COPD is a progressive disease that usually worsens over time.
The conventional way that doctors stage COPD is according to the results of the person's pulmonary function tests (also called lung function tests). These are special tests that provide measurements of how much air a person's lungs can hold (the "forced vital capacity," or FVC) and how quickly they can breathe out (the "forced expiratory volume in one second," or FEV1). Doctors compare a person's FVC and FEV1 to predicted numbers that reflect normal lung function in people of the same age, height, and gender. By seeing how much worse lung function is compared to the normal predicted numbers, one can determine the stage of COPD.
Stage IV: Very Severe COPD
FEV1 is less than 30 percent of normal; or FEV1 is less than 50 percent of normal and chronic respiratory failure is present (meaning the person needs chronic oxygen therapy). In this stage, people are often short of breath even at rest. Eating can be difficult due to shortness of breath. They can feel weak or dizzy and these symptoms tend to progress.
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Hello Anon
Thank you for writing.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has four stages, I to IV, with stage I being the mildest stage and stage IV the most advanced.
These stages reflect the fact that COPD is a progressive disease that usually worsens over time.
The conventional way that doctors stage COPD is according to the results of the person's pulmonary function tests (also called lung function tests). These are special tests that provide measurements of how much air a person's lungs can hold (the "forced vital capacity," or FVC) and how quickly they can breathe out (the "forced expiratory volume in one second," or FEV1). Doctors compare a person's FVC and FEV1 to predicted numbers that reflect normal lung function in people of the same age, height, and gender. By seeing how much worse lung function is compared to the normal predicted numbers, one can determine the stage of COPD.
Stage IV: Very Severe COPD
FEV1 is less than 30 percent of normal; or FEV1 is less than 50 percent of normal and chronic respiratory failure is present (meaning the person needs chronic oxygen therapy). In this stage, people are often short of breath even at rest. Eating can be difficult due to shortness of breath. They can feel weak or dizzy and these symptoms tend to progress.
I hope this has helped.
August 23, 2017 - 5:27amBest,
Susan
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