In this week we talk about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive lung condition that restricts airflow due to chronic bronchitis and emphysema, which damages the alveoli. COPD affects around 11% of adults over 30 and is linked to smoking, pollution, and genetic factors. This episode relates COPD to a house with big rooms and narrow doors, making furnishing a challenge, and fives into the mechanisms, symptoms, and treatments for the disease.

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References:

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Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). (2025). 2025 Report... Available from: https://goldcopd.org

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World Health Organization. (7 August, 2024). The top 10 causes of death. [Website, accessed 17 February, 2025]. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death

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