I didn't know that copd is fatal? are there stages to copd like there are in cancer?

Yes: End stage is fatal , as lung is a vital organ carries oxygen to body, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) has stages of progression, based on lung % body function mild stage i , moderate ii severe iii and very severe stage iv.

Yes: COPD is a progressive lung disease with varying stages of severity. It is also known as chronic bronchitis with the final stage often emphysema. Treatment is mostly symptomatic. Smoking cessation and/or minimizing offending substances (pollution) can help symptoms and improve your quality of life. COPD is not cancer and should not be confused with it, .

COPD is fatal but..: You can think of it this way -- the lungs wear out naturally, more so than most of the other organs, and COPD in its form of emphysema greatly accelerates the irreversible process. The other changes (chronic bronchitis and its troublesome minor relatives) don't make life easier along the way. There's no point staging COPD since rx is based on current needs. Good luck.

Life is fatal: Disease merely accelerate fatality. Smoking is the largest cause of copd, the damage once done is not reversible. You can use pft's to measure where your problem is, and gauge change. But there is only help for the bronchospastic aspect. Discuss this with our pulmonary doctor.

Yes: There are stages in copd, not directly related to death but more to disability - for example in severe COPD you are more likely to require home oxygen and be limited in your activities of daily living. I use these mostly to scare my patients into quitting smoking, because that one decision can greatly impact their lives for the better.