Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Disability Insurance Benefits Claim
How Can Disability Insurance Attorneys Dell & Schaefer Assist You?
As disability insurance attorneys, Dell & Schaefer have represented long term disability claimants that have been unable to work as a result of suffering chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Disability Attorneys Dell & Schaefer have an expansive understanding of the significant restrictions and limitations that a person with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease must live with on a daily basis. We have worked closely with top physicians in order to sufficiently satisfy a disability carrier’s threshold of evidence necessary to prove that a client is disabled by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Not everyone suffering with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease qualifies for long-term disability benefits, therefore the medicals records of each client must be reviewed to determine the level of restrictions.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss your long-term disability claim.
You can contact us for a free initial consultation.
What is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to a group of lung diseases that block airflow and make it increasingly difficult for you to breathe. Your airways branch out inside your lungs. At the end of each branch are small, balloon-like air sacs. In healthy people, both the airways and air sacs are springy and elastic. When you breathe in, each air sac fills with air like a small balloon. The balloon deflates when you exhale. In COPD, your airways and air sacs lose their shape and become floppy, like a stretched-out rubber band.
COPD is estimated to affect 32 million persons in the United States and is the fourth leading cause of death in this country. Risk factors for developing COPD include:
- Exposure to tobacco smoke. More than 95% of all COPD cases are caused by cigarette smoking. Pipe smokers, cigar smokers and people exposed to large amounts of secondhand smoke also are at risk for developing COPD.
- Occupational exposure to dusts and chemicals. About 5 percent of cases are caused by significant exposure to various types of dust such as coal, grain, or wood.
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This condition is a severe form of acid reflux. GERD can make COPD worse and may even cause it in some people.
- Genetics. 1% of all cases are caused by a rare genetic disorder known as alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency is a source of COPD and is also referred to as inherited emphysema.
How the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can affect you
Difficulty breathing can keep you from doing activities that you enjoy. People suffering with COPD may find that they are incapable of engaging in social, professional and leisure activities. The symptoms of COPD can range from mild to severe depending upon how advanced the disease has become.
Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the two main conditions that make up COPD, but COPD can also refer to damage caused by chronic asthmatic bronchitis. Signs and symptoms of emphysema include shortness of breath, wheezing and chest tightness.
Chronic bronchitis occurs mainly in smokers. Signs and symptoms of chronic bronchitis include: a need to clear your throat first thing in the morning, a chronic cough that produces yellowish sputum, shortness of breath and frequent respiratory infections. Smokers with chronic bronchitis are at a higher risk of developing lung cancer than are smokers who don’t have chronic bronchitis.
Chronic asthmatic bronchitis is usually chronic bronchitis combined with asthma (bronchospasm). Asthma can occur when inflamed and infected secretions irritate the smooth muscles in your airways. Symptoms are similar to those of chronic bronchitis, but you’re also likely to have sporadic episodes of wheezing.
When a person has COPD, they are more likely to get frequent respiratory infections, colds, the flu or pneumonia. COPD may cause high blood pressure in the arteries that bring blood to your lungs (pulmonary hypertension) and increase a person’s risk of heart disease, including heart attack.
COPD treatment may include bronchodilators, corticosteroids antibiotics, flu and pneumonia vaccines, oxygen therapy and a program of exercise, management and counseling known as pulmonary rehabilitation. In severe cases of COPD, the doctor may suggest surgery to remove diseased lung tissue or to replace the diseased lung entirely.
Resources
There are many valuable sources of COPD information available. You can also access resources over the internet such as:
- Medline Plus
- National Heart Lung & Blood Institute
There are numerous charities dedicated to COPD research, prevention and treatment including:
- American Lung Association
- Alpha 1 Foundation
We welcome the opportunity to discuss your long-term disability claim.
You can contact us for a free initial consultation.
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We respond the same day. We represent disability insurance claimants all over the United States.
- Five disability lawsuits recently filed against UNUM in Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, and Michigan
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- Hartford pays disability benefits for 12 years and then uses video surveillance to deny benefits
Disability benefits cases involving COPD:
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