I am a 37 year old white female. I have been smoking since I was 17. Just recently I was diagnosed with Chronic Bronchitis (COPD). For the last few days I have been having chest pains in the center of my chest while smoking a cigarette. I smoke one pack a day. Should this be a cause for concern? What does this mean and how should I treat it? My name is Erin.
Hi Erin. I had gone through your questions and understand your concerns. Smoking is the most common cause for COPD. The most important part in treatment of COPD is quitting smoking. You may attend a smoking cessation clinic where you can get assistance for this. You need to perform a lung function test (spirometry) and repeat after bronchodilator to look for reversibility. This is to confirm diagnosis and to assess severity of the disease. The treatment is based on severity and frequency of symptoms. Mostly you will need bronchodilator inhalers. Regarding chest pain, you will have to do a chest X-ray and Electrocardiogram and probably a CT scan of chest to look for any other abnormality. Consult your pulmonologist or GP for these tests. Hope I have answered your question. Thanks for using Chat Doctor.