COPD life expectancy

The exact length of time you can live with COPD depends on your age, health, and symptoms. Especially if your COPD is diagnosed early, if you have mild stage COPD, and your disease is well managed and controlled, you may be able to live for 10 or even 20 years after diagnosis. For example, one study found that people who were diagnosed with mild stage COPD, or GOLD stage 1, had no shorter life expectancy than healthy people.

This is especially so if you don’t smoke: Other research has found that life expectancy with COPD is reduced further for past and current smokers.

People with severe stage COPD, lose about eight to nine years of life expectancy on average.

Studies have shown that the rate at which the lung function of COPD patients decreases can be reduced if a diagnosis is made in the early stages of the disease and if medical treatment starts without delay. Furthermore, lifestyle changes can slow down the speed at which COPD symptoms get worse. For example, one study found that stopping smoking after a COPD diagnosis delayed the worsening of the disease. Even though this was the case at all stages of COPD, earlier actions had the biggest impact.