Thursday, November 17, 2016

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a term used to describe a group of lung diseases which includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma. The main symptom that patients suffering from COPD complain about is breathlessness and coughing.  COPD can, however, develop over the years without any noticeable symptoms. But symptoms which appear later include tightness in the chest, persistent cough and wheezing other than breathlessness.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally around 65 million people suffer from moderate to severe COPD. Out of this, 3 million succumbed to COPD in 2005 and experts estimate that by 2030 it will be the third most common cause of deaths.

 Biomass smoke and mosquito coils are major risk factors for COPD in India

The sad truth is that despite how fast cities are growing in India, 70% of the homes in rural and urban areas still use biomass fuel for cooking and heating purposes in poorly ventilated kitchens .  In fact, studies have found that 90% of rural households and 32% of urban households still cook their meals on a biomass stove. As only 25% of cooking is done with cleaner gases in India, exposure to biomass smoke is a major risk factor for COPD in the country.
However, just because you use LPG gas for cooking purposes, it does not mean you are safe from COPD. Another source of exposure in Indian houses is mosquito coils. In fact burning even one mosquito coil in the night to get rid of mosquitoes is capable of emitting particulate matter equivalent to around 100 cigarettes . Switch to mosquito repellent lotions or other eco-friendly measures to keep your lungs healthy.

Bidi smokers are at the highest risk of COPD
It’s a known fact that smokers are at a far greater risk of suffering from lung diseases as compared to non-smokers. Doctors say that smokers are thrice as likely at the risk of developing COPD. However, bidi smokers were at a much higher risk of developing COPD (8.2%) as compared to those who smoke cigarettes (5.9%) .
 COPD patients are at an increased risk of tuberculosis and vice versa
Studies have found that COPD patients are at a higher risk of developing active TB compared to the general population. This is because COPD and TB have common risk factors like smoking and poor living conditions.

COPD patients could suffer from depression
Other than tuberculosis, COPD patients are also prone to depressive symptoms. A study published in the journal Chest in 2016 reported that one in four patients with COPD also suffer from depression. If depression goes undiagnosed in these COPD patients, it can reduce the effectiveness of their treatment. Another study conducted by researchers from the University of Texas found that 22.3% of patients had one or more psychological disorders.

Yoga and walking can benefit patients with COPD
If you’re a COPD patient, you can reduce the risk of hospitalisation and improve the overall quality of your life by walking three to six kilometres a day. The study was published in the journal Respirology in 2016. Another study found that practising yoga can help COPD patients.
 
this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.
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