Does anyone know?

Question

My dad was told he has copd and to the best of my knowledge he has lost at least 50% of his lung power.

He won't talk to us about it and he cannot stop smoking (he has cut down alot)

My question is what would be his life expectancy be...i do't even want to ask this question..........

Answer 1

Smoking cessation is one of the most important factors in slowing down the progression of COPD. Even at a late stage of the disease it can reduce the rate of deterioration and prolong the time taken for disability and death...

Prognosis

A good prognosis of COPD relies on an early diagnosis and prompt treatment. Most patients will have improvement in lung function once treatment is started, however eventually signs and symptoms will worsen as COPD progresses. The median survival is about 10 years if two-thirds of expected lung function was lost by diagnosis.


My aunt was diagnosed as having this at 38, One minute she had stopped smoking but the next started again, eventually she cut down smoking but it still progressed, She died at the age of 48, she looked 70, she couldn't walk, she wasted away, Try and encourage you dad to give up, he will last longer if he does,If he doesn't then his life will end sooner....,,

My thoughts are with you, watching someone suffer with this isn't nice, Do your best to encourage him to give up the fags....
Good luck!!!

Answer 2

There is no cure for COPD. Once the damage is done to the lungs it cannot be reversed.
Stopping smoking will greatly help improve the symptoms and stop the disease from progressing further.
It is never too late to stop smoking and it will benefit even those with advanced COPD.
Keeping fit and healthy by taking regular exercise and maintaining a health weight can also help.
People with chronic lung diseases are also advised to have an annual flu jab.
Severe COPD is extremely debilitating. As the lungs become more damaged, too little oxygen gets into the bloodstream and this lead to other health problems such as heart failure.
There are therapies that can help at all stages of the disease.
The median survival is about 10 years if two-thirds of expected lung function was lost by diagnosis.
Please see the web pages for more details on COPD.

Answer 3

You pretty much know the answer to this already. He doesn't want to live if he is still smoking. That's obvious. And a shame. His life expectancy depends---if he got a bad lung infection (bronchitis, pneumonia) it could kill him. If he'd just quit smoking, there are therapies they can give him to help the obstruction and keep him for getting worse so fast. But they won't give them to him when he's still smoking.

Answer 4

Hi,

My mum was diagnosed with COPD about 5 years ago - despite that she is still smoking (it breaks my heart). She is still here, she is slowly getting worse now and she has been in hospital since Xmas, I dont know either. It could be now - or she may bounce back and come home, we never know, the doctors dont know either, they just guess, they have told us many times she was going to die and its never happened yet. Enjoy the time you have with your dad - I know its hard, especially not knowing how long you have with your dad. xxx

Answer 5

This question will be impossible for anyone here to answer without knowing his history, looking at his labs, and examining him. His doctor is the only one who can be reasonably expected to hazard a guess, and even then those guesses tend to be pretty inaccurate. Sorry =(

Answer 6

If he continues smoking, very bad. if he gives up then he may not have an awful lot longer but the quality of his life will be better

Answer 7

Would it help to really know the answer to this question?

cherish the time you have with your dear Dad.

Answer 8

Hard to say, my grandad had the problem and to about that degree, and He almost lived to his 86 birthday.

Answer 9

not long.

depending on his age it may already be too late to do anything that would make a serious change to the situation.

Answer 10

WELL, HE MAY LIVE LIKE 5 YRS , IT'S HARD TO TELL!