Hi there, it means that her condition has suddenly deteriorated and is needing urgent treatment. It is spelt exacerbated in the UKbut in the US probably spelt different.

Generally means a severe attack of struggling to breath and medication not seeming to work. You also feel anxious.

An exacerbation is basically cold type symptoms that because of the weakness the lungs have due to disease goes directly to them. I have been having several a year for past 8 years or so. If we catch it quickly enough a week of antibiotic and prednisone will usually knock it out but I have been hospitalized several times when I delayed informing the doctor and getting the medication. Those times can be quite frightening as I swear I'm drowning or being smothered...not able to catch a breath. Levaquin is the antibiotic that appears to work best on me now though for years it was a Zpak.

@WebMD.com has an excellent description of exacerbation in COPD.

An exacerbation is a worsening of your COPD symptoms that requires medical intervention: antibiotics, prednisone, a visit to the doc, a hospitalization. Your spelling's right, Ann. So her symptoms got worse and got so much worse that she had to be hospitalized. You don't want that. That's why you try to catch things

It SOUNDS SO INNOCUOUS BUT IT IS DEADLY FRIGHTENING. DON'T FEEL YOU CAN CONTROL ANYTHING AND GET REALLY ANXIOUS AND SCARED. I always want to stay at home. Do not want treatments in a hospital. Phoohee I will not retype because I hit cap lock in error. I got enough to worry about