No. COPD usually caused by cigarette smoking while the cause of asthma is multifactorial. COPD tends to afflict the older population while asthma is more frequently seen in the young. The obstruction of the airways is usually fixed and progressive whereas in asthma it is usually reversible.
No. As the cause is not an infectious agent, it is not contagious.
Lung function will still continue to deteriorate even when smoking has been stopped. However the rate of deterioration will slow down and symptoms will not worsen so rapidly. Even a normal person will have age-related deterioration of lung function.
Although oxygen on its own is not combustible, it promotes combustion in the presence of a flame. Ideally, a patient who requires home oxygen therapy should stop smoking for two reasons. Firstly, smoking causes rapid deterioration of lung function in these patients who are already severely compromised and secondly because of the risk of burns and fire if cigarettes are accidentally lit in front of the oxygen. If the patient still insists on smoking or if members of the family smoke, they must be advised not to smoke in the same room with the oxygen. Patients should not use oxygen when they have lit a cigarette.
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