About Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD):
- COPD is a common lung disease causing restricted airflow and breathing problems.
- There are two main forms of COPD. Most people with COPD have a combination of both conditions.
- Chronic bronchitis, which involves a long-term cough with mucus.
- Emphysema, which involves damage to the lungs over time.
- Causes: It's typically caused by long-term exposure to irritating gases or particulate matter, most often from cigarette smoke.
- Signs and symptoms:
- The most common symptoms of COPD are difficulty breathing, chronic cough (sometimes with phlegm) and feeling tired.
- COPD symptoms can get worse quickly. These are called flare-ups. These usually last for a few days and often require additional medicine.
- People with COPD are at increased risk of developing heart disease, lung cancer and a variety of other conditions.
- Treatment:
- COPD isn’t curable, but it can get better by not smoking, avoiding air pollution and getting vaccines.
- It can be treated with medicines, oxygen and pulmonary rehabilitation.
Key Facts about Vitamin K:
- It is a fat-soluble vitamin that comes in two forms.
- The main type is called phylloquinone, found in green leafy vegetables like collard greens, kale, and spinach.
- The other type, menaquinones, is found in some animal foods and fermented foods. Menaquinones can also be produced by bacteria in the human body.
- Vitamin K helps to make various proteins that are needed for blood clotting and the building of bones. Vitamin K is found throughout the body, including the liver, brain, heart, pancreas, and bone.
- It is broken down very quickly and excreted in urine or stool. Because of this, it rarely reaches toxic levels in the body even with high intakes, as may sometimes occur with other fat-soluble vitamins.
