13. How is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) diagnosed?

Go back

If the person is a smoker, the presence of long-term complaints of shortness of breath, cough and sputum is considered sufficient for the diagnosis of COPD, but a respiratory test evaluation should be performed for a definitive diagnosis. The respiratory assessment test, which is carried out within a few minutes, is performed by the person breathing deeply into the respirator.

This test, which provides easy information about lung capacity and the stage of the disease, if any, should be performed at least once a year, especially for smokers over the age of 40.