“Smoking is injurious to health” is one of those sentences that we see, hear and read in our daily life, but very few people follow it today! This smoking habit is increasing in foreign countries especially in cold countries than in India.
Also, our lungs are affected by the polluted environment in today’s time. By inhaling fumes from vehicles, toxic fumes from factories, smoking habits, and even if we often inhale the smoke from people who smoke close to us, our lungs gradually weaken and their function decreases.
We call this disease Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The disease starts with shortness of breath and becomes so serious that it takes a person’s life. Let’s get to know it in detail…According to the World Health Organization, 65 million people suffer from moderate to severe obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) every year.
And COPD has been identified as the third leading cause of death worldwide in 2020. Also COPD patients are at risk of developing various serious diseases like heart disease, lung cancer, high blood pressure, colds, flu and pneumonia.
In India, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is considered the second most common disorder affecting the lungs after pulmonary tuberculosis. Nowadays, this disease occurs more in middle-aged people. Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) due to heavy smoking affects men more.
And we should note that the disease worsens among patients over 55-60 years of age and is an important cause of death. It is equally common in rural and urban areas in India. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a collective term for chronic inflammatory diseases of the lungs.
This makes it difficult for us to breathe and causes great difficulty. If the lungs don’t get enough oxygen, their efficiency will be reduced. Causes of emphysema include smoking and secondhand smoke exposure to chemicals, vehicular smoke and other fumes, long-term exposure to air pollution, poor ventilation in homes, inhaling fumes from burning fuel, deficiency in the protein alpha-1-antitrypsin in our body, Consuming cold water all the time and staying in cold climates can lead to COPD.
Symptoms of COPD tend to be milder than the symptoms of obstructive pulmonary disease. There are chances that we may even mistake these symptoms for a cold. The symptoms gradually worsen and can lead to further health complications.
When the lungs are severely damaged, the following symptoms may occur:*shortness of breath*chest tightness*chronic cough with phlegm*frequent colds, flu or other respiratory infections*frequent discharge of mucus from the lungs*fatigue*swelling in ankles or feet*weight loss*smokers or regular smokers Treatment options for COPD Although COPD is usually treated with drugs such as inhalers and antibiotics, the reality is that there is no permanent cure in modern medicine.
