There is no thumb rule regarding the life expectancy rate of COPD patients. The disease gradually progresses and is not entirely curable. The expectancy results depend upon your age, lifestyle, health, the severity of the condition, and the chosen treatment option

1. What is the life expectancy of
someone with COPD

2. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a health condition that creates breathing
difficulty. It causes breathlessness, fatigue, wheezing, and chronic cough. The health problem is a
group of lung issues like chronic bronchitis, irreversible asthma, and emphysema that can affect
anyone. It can lead to airflow obstruction because the tiny sacs in the lungs can lose their capacity
to shrink or stretch, walls between sacs can get damaged, over secretion of mucus may block the
airflow, and air sacs walls can inflame or become thick. For those interested in knowing the life
expectancy of people dealing with COPD, the information has been segregated in the following
sections. Here you go!

3. Life expectancy with COPD
There is no thumb rule regarding the life expectancy rate of COPD patients. The disease gradually
progresses and is not entirely curable. The expectancy results depend upon your age, lifestyle,
health, the severity of the condition, and the chosen treatment option.
Many COPD patients live until the late 70s or 80s. It suggests that the lung condition is not a death
sentence. But, this only holds true for people who have a mild condition and don’t have other heart
diseases.
For other people, there is a five-year life expectancy. Experts claim that about 40 to 70 out of 100
people stay alive for at least five years after the diagnosis. But, its timely treatment can slow down
the progression rate.

4. COPD severity and life diagnosis
To define the severity of COPD, the doctors use the Global Initiative on Obstructive Lung Disease
(GOLD) system. It classifies COPD severity depending upon how much air you can exhale in one
second after blowing into a plastic tube called a spirometer. The divisions are based on the results
of people who fall in the same group as you based on age, gender, and ethnic group but don’t have
any health conditions. The stages are:
GOLD 1 (80% or more)
GOLD 2 (50% and 79%)
GOLD 3 (30% and 49%)
GOLD 4 (Less than 30%)
Typically, the higher is your stage on the GOLD system, the less likely you are to live a healthy and
long life.

5. Symptoms and severity
Your symptoms also play a significant role in determining your life expectancy. Patients with the
worsened signs are less likely to live a long and healthy life, while those who are well and show mild
symptoms live long. So, are you experiencing a high level of difficulty in breathing and were you
admitted to the hospital for COPD flare-ups are vital questions when predicting the life period of a
COPD patient.
Smoking and life expectancy
Smoking is the primary cause of COPD. Patients who are suffering from this condition and smoke
can die soon. According to stats, for men aged 65 and smoking, the life expectancy drop rate is:
1st Stage: 0.3 years
2nd Stage: 2.2 years
3rd Stage: 5.8 years
4th Stage: 5.8 years
So, COPD is a severe health condition that can reduce your life expectancy. It depends upon several
factors like your age, COPD stage, treatment, and other health conditions.

6. Thank You