When breathlessness can actually kill you?

 Increasing awareness of heart diseases makes their detection early and prompt. But the flip side of the story is that all breathlessness in thought to be coming from heart ailments. We tend to forget the 

5^th most killer disease of the world, COPD (Chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease).

Smoking, urban life, outdoor & indoor air pollution all contributes to fast ageing of lung. When fast pathological ageing of lung start i.e. rapid decline of FEV1 than normal detected in Lung Function Test, it is termed as COPD. It is a progressive life threatening lung disease. 

It kills 3 million people worldwide per year. It accounts for 5% of all death globally. More than 90% of COPD death occurs in low middle income countries. There is a steep rise in number of COPD cases. It has increased by a whopping 27% in last decade. It is the 5^th biggest killer disease and will become 3^rd most killer disease by 2020.

Chronic bronchitis or Emphysema are the day today conversation words used for COPD. Early detection may change the course of disease and significantly reduce the morbidity and death rates associated with it. The common symptoms of COPD – cough, sputum production, breathlessness, weakness, fatigue etc.

Prevention of COPD:

1.       Avoid tobacco smoke

2.       Avoidance of outdoor & indoor air pollution

3.       Early detection with Spirometry, which measures lung function. It is also called PFT test

 Treatment of COPD:

1.       Quit Smoking

2.       Bronchodilator

3.       Pulmonary rehabilitation comprising of

                  - Exercises

                  - Breathing maneuvers

                  - Nutrition

                  - Vaccination   Flu shot, Pneumococcal

                  - Disease Education

4.       Supplemental Oxygen if required

5.       Management of acute Exacerbation

“Knowledge is Prevention, Knowledge is Cure”

Let’s join hands to make our COPD patient live longer & healthier.