New COPD care is here, but patients first need accurate diagnosis

ABINGTON, Pa. (WPVI) -- Understanding and treating COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is one of the most active fields in medicine.

But there's still a huge need for more awareness so that people are accurately diagnosed.

"My mom and dad had a form of COPD when they died. They were smokers," says Gina Eberhardt of Abington, Pennsylvania.

But when Gina's brother developed COPD at a young age, the family learned that smoking wasn't the sole cause.

They carry a genetic mutation called Alpha One antitrypsin.

"My liver doesn't make enough proteins to protect my lungs," Gina said. "My brother was 42 years old when he passed, and my sister was 54."

Kevin Carney, CRNP, a nurse practitioner in the Temple Health Lung Center, says COPD is often found during screenings for other ailments, such as lung cancer.

"We do a breathing test, about a third or half would have evidence of obstruction, two-thirds of which had no idea. So it's a very under-reported diagnosis," Carney says.

He says it's easy to rationalize the symptoms, such as shortness of breath during everyday activities.

"Walking up and down the steps got harder," recalls Gina.

Chronic coughing and extreme tiredness are other symptoms.

"I wanted to sleep all the time," she says, adding, "It would take me an hour just to get moving."

Gina brought those symptoms up to her doctor but some people don't, Carney says.

"'I'm getting older, I'm deconditioned, I'm out of shape.' They attribute it to something else," he says.

He says treatments can be tailored now, however, patients need the right breathing tests to determine the specific type of COPD or other lung disease.

For that reason, they need to see a pulmonary specialist.

"You've had a heart attack, I hope you'd see a cardiologist. If you've had a stroke, I hope you'd see a neurologist," notes Carney.

Gina now has valves implanted in diseased portions of her left lung, helping it work more efficiently.

And she notices a difference.

"As time goes on, I'm getting more and more energy. I can do so much more," she says.

Kevin Carney says there are several new drugs available, including one in a whole new class that doesn't just open airways, but lowers inflammation, and can prevent flare-ups.