When to Call a Doctor

Call or other emergency services now if:

• Breathing stops.
• Moderate to severe difficulty breathing occurs. This means a person may have trouble talking in full sentences or breathing during activity.
• Severe chest pain occurs, or chest pain is quickly getting worse.

Call your doctor immediately or go to the emergency room if you have been diagnosed with COPD and you:

• Cough up 0.5 cup (120 mL) or more of blood.
• Have shortness of breath or wheezing that is quickly getting worse.
• Start having new chest pain.
• Are coughing more deeply or more often, especially if you notice an increase in mucus (sputum) or a change in the color of the mucus you cough up.
• Have increased swelling in your legs or belly.
• Have a high fever [over 101°F (38.3°C)].
• Develop flu-like symptoms.

If your symptoms (cough, mucus, and/or shortness of breath) suddenly get worse and stay worse, you may be having a COPD flare-up, or exacerbation. Quick treatment for a flare-up may help keep you out of the hospital.

Call your doctor soon for an appointment if:

• Your medicine is not working as well as it had been.
• Your symptoms are slowly getting worse, and you have not seen a doctor recently.
• You have a cold and:
  • Your fever lasts longer than 2 to 3 days.
  • Breathlessness occurs or becomes noticeably worse.
  • Your cough gets worse or lasts longer than 7 to 10 days.
• You have not been diagnosed with COPD but are having symptoms. A history of smoking (even in the past) greatly increases the likelihood that symptoms are from COPD.
• You cough up any amount of blood.

Talk to your doctor

If you have been diagnosed with COPD, talk with your doctor at your next regular appointment about:

• Help to stop smoking. To review tips on how to stop smoking, see the topic Quitting Smoking.
• A yearly flu vaccine.
• A pneumococcal shot. Usually, people need only one shot. But doctors recommend a second one for some people who got their first shot before they turned 65.
• An exercise program or pulmonary rehabilitation.
• Any updates of your medicines or treatment that you may need.

Who to see

Health professionals who can diagnose COPD and provide a basic treatment plan include:

• Family medicine doctors.
• Internists.
• Nurse practitioners.
• Physician assistants.

You may need to see a specialist in lung disease, called a pulmonologist (say "pool-muh-NAWL-uh-jist"), if:

• Your diagnosis of COPD is uncertain or hard to make because you have diseases with similar symptoms.
• You have unusual symptoms that are not usually seen in people with COPD.
• You are younger than 50 and/or have no history or a short history of cigarette smoking.
• You have to go to the hospital often because of sudden increases in shortness of breath.
• You need long-term oxygen therapy or corticosteroid therapy.
• You and your doctor are considering surgery, such as a lung transplant or lung volume reduction.