According to the cdc, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) is a serious lung disease caused by smoking. it gradually makes it harder and harder to breathe. how severe your symptoms are depends on the amount of lung damage. the deterioration will be exacerbated if the patient continues to smoke. what statement best replaces the sentence, "the deterioration will be exacerbated if the patient continues to smoke? " the damage will get worse faster if the patient continues to smoke. the symptoms will be less severe if the patient continues to smoke. there will be other related illnesses if the patient continues to smoke. there will be a slower recovery if the patient continues to smoke.

The damage will get worse faster if the patient continues to smoke.

Explanation:

When the author of the text says "The deterioration will be exacerbated if the patient continues to smoke" he is saying that the disease and the damage it causes will get worse and worse if the patient continues to smoke. That is, to contain the disease and the problems it causes, the patient has to decrease the frequency in which he smokes, the ideal would be to stop smoking instead, but as this is not always easy, the patient can go down to a stop. with the difficult if you wish to achieve healing.

This reduction in tobacco use should be done quickly, as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease damages lungs quickly.