Exacerbation

Exacerbation is doing something which makes a negative state become much worse. For instance, a patients’ depression symptoms were exacerbated by his father’s death. Another example is “chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation”. A person with COPD experiences shortness of breath and wheezing after engaging in physical activities; however, during exacerbations, he needs to catch his breath even if he has just walked for several steps, feels chest tightness more frequently, and manifests significant weight loss.