Lung Conditions: Asthma vs. COPD

Your lungs can literally turn on you, and sometimes the damage is permanent. With asthma,

your airways have a major freak-out. The muscles spasm, the lining swells, and you get tons

of mucus, making it hard to breathe. It's a dramatic, inflammatory reaction,

but the key is that it's often reversible. Then there's COPD, which is a whole different story.

This includes emphysema, where the tiny air sacs in your lungs lose their stretch and get destroyed

forever. It also includes chronic bronchitis, which is constant inflammation and

scarring. This damage is irreversible and progressive, permanently changing your lungs.