Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by progressive airflow limitation. Due to the insidious onset and atypical early symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, when patients show obvious symptoms, the condition is often already quite severe. What factors can cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? Under what circumstances will the condition worsen acute? For this purpose, People's Daily Online interviewed Dai Yuanyuan, the attending physician of the Respiratory Department in the North District of Chengdu Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital. Dai Yuanyuan introduced that the risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mainly include smoking, air pollution, occupational exposure, etc. Among them, smoking is the biggest risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which not only promotes the occurrence of COPD, but also exacerbates the condition. The main symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are coughing, expectoration, and difficulty breathing. In severe cases, there may be symptoms such as bluish lips and swelling, and even long-term use of a ventilator to maintain breathing. It should be noted that some patients have less obvious symptoms, mainly manifested as shortness of breath after activities, such as not gasping for breath when walking or running before, but now they can't catch their breath when walking a little faster. How to diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? Dai Yuanyuan stated that lung function is the most important diagnostic indicator for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and clinical diagnosis will be based on the patient's symptoms, risk factors, lung function tests, imaging examinations, etc. It is recommended that high-risk individuals for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, such as those over 40 years old, with a long-term smoking history, and chronic respiratory symptoms, undergo regular lung function tests every year. After being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, it is necessary to adhere to long-term standardized treatment to reduce acute attacks. Every time there is an acute attack, lung function drops by one step and it is difficult to recover to its original level Dai Yuanyuan explained that medication can improve symptoms, increase lung activity endurance, and slow down lung function decline. At the same time, through standardized treatment such as anti infection, anti-inflammatory, anti asthma, and non-invasive ventilator application, patients' acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can be controlled in the early stage, avoiding the occurrence of dangerous situations such as respiratory exhaustion. Dai Yuanyuan reminds that for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the condition may worsen in winter, mainly due to factors such as cold stimulation, pathogen infection, and environmental pollution. Therefore, attention should be paid to infection prevention and control, medication should not be added or removed arbitrarily, and eligible individuals should receive timely influenza and pneumonia vaccines. Once symptoms such as worsening cough, increased sputum volume, and difficulty breathing occur, seek medical attention promptly. At the same time, it is necessary to reduce exposure to risk factors, timely increase clothing when going out, scientifically wear masks, try to avoid staying in crowded and poorly ventilated environments for a long time, and smokers should quit smoking as soon as possible. (New Society)