Which condition is categorized as COPD?

• A. pleurisy
• B. chronic bronchitis
• C. asthma
• D. epiglottitis

Answer: (B)

COPD is a group of lung diseases characterized by long-term, largely irreversible airflow limitation, with chronic bronchitis and emphysema being the main components. Chronic bronchitis fits this category because it involves a persistent productive cough and mucus production over time, reflecting ongoing airway inflammation and obstruction that don’t fully reverse. Clinically, it’s defined by a productive cough for at least three months in two consecutive years, which aligns with COPD’s pattern of chronic, progressive obstruction.

Pleurisy, by contrast, is inflammation of the pleural lining and causes sharp chest pain with breaths, not a chronic obstructive process. Asthma involves reversible airway narrowing and hyperresponsiveness, so its obstruction isn’t typically categorized as COPD, though there can be overlap in some patients. Epiglottitis is an acute infection causing rapid airway obstruction, not a chronic obstructive condition.

So chronic bronchitis is the condition that fits into the COPD classification.