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17484539 tn?1580565249

How is COPD diagnosed?

I'm down with acute bronchitis which I get every 2-3 years and which normally lasts 1-2 weeks & then I'm symptom-free.  i'm on a round of Levaquin 7 days) and prednisone short term (5 days) covid test negative and no pneumonia, however on the chest X-ray was written "signs of COPD changes."  What the heck does that mean and how is COPD really diagnosed? I'm an ex-smoker, stopped in 1982. The bronchitis cough seems more resistant than usual this year and I wondered about COPD..
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973741 tn?1342342773
Hello! Sorry you didn't get an answer.  Was there further confirmation to the COPD diagnosis? Changes aren't so much as being diagnosed as.   A chest x ray can detect copd. Normally this is where signs of emphysema show up.  You aren't having any symptoms though, correct? Lung or pulmonary function tests can reveal a lot and determine the level of impact these 'changes' are having. This article goes through all of the diagnostics they can do to determine if you have true COPD or give you more information on the 'signs' of it they are seeing when describing copd changes.  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/copd/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353685  Medicine has come a very long way and COPD IS often treatable.  Let me know what has transpired since you posted this.  
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