Long term smokers or people working in hazardous industrial sector that involves lot of dust and smoke are more prone to COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), a critical lung disease that is characterized by severe difficulty in breathing. The term COPD is commonly used to indicate a group of respiratory disorders including asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
In this condition it becomes difficult for the victim to exhale the air from the lungs as the airways become narrow or blocked. Experts are of the opinion that the root cause of COPD is smoking. Other than tobacco, individuals who are exposed to air pollutants also develops a higher chance of getting affected with chronic pulmonary disease. Apart from tobacco and pollution other secondary factors responsible for COPD are family history of asthma and premature birth.
Status of COPD treatment in India:
Due to increasing level of pollution, the air that we inhale consists of harmful pollutants like lead, carbon monoxide and other harmful gases. The hazardous level of air pollution is responsible for various health complications among people mainly acute respiratory syndrome.
India, being one of the prospective healthcare destinations in the world is a home to many acclaimed hospitals and healthcare centers that offers excellent facilities to treat complex lungs disorders. Haridaya Superspeciality Centre, a unit of Tandon chest and Sleep Centre is one such renowned respiratory hospital located in Allahabad city in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The hospital headed by Dr. Ashish Tandon is backed by high end technology with world class infrastructure and expert doctors who holds a patient centric approach to deliver the best of healthcare services.
Dr. Tandon is a highly competent and compassionate chest physician holding experience of more than over two decades in treating complicated cases of respiratory disorders. Besides being a visiting consultant to many hospitals in Allahabad, Dr. Tandon is also the chief spokesperson in many medical conferences held in India and abroad.
According to Dr. Ashish Tandon the following symptoms are the possible indications of having COPD. Such as:
COPD is often accompanied by cold and flu and in severe condition there may be swelling in the feet and leg, problems in breathing while talking, bluish hue in lips and nails due to shortage in oxygen level and rapid heartbeat.
Diagnosis:
If someone is suffering from the above mentioned symptoms, then consulting a doctor is an immediate step. The concerned doctor may conduct a test known as spirometry, which is a non invasive breathing test to detect how much amount of air the patient is capable of exhaling from the lungs. An X-ray test of the chest area can also be conducted to detect the possibilities of COPD.
How COPD hinders normal breathing:
Critical lung conditions like acute bronchitis, asthma and emphysema resulting in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affect the lungs and its normal functioning in a human being. Bronchitis cause inflammation in the air passages making it narrow that hinders the normal breathing. Emphysema on the other hand put adverse effect on the air sacs at the end of airways in the lungs which make the lungs baggy and full of holes. These holes trap air which makes the air passage narrow creating difficulties in the inhaling and exhaling process.
Treatment of COPD:
Smoking is considered as the prime cause behind the chronic COPD, so while undergoing treatment a chest physician would definitely suggest leaving the addiction at the primary level. It has been observed from maximum medical cases that people mostly succumbed to COPD after the age of 60 and most of them had a long history of chain smoking.
Most respiratory physicians suggest inhaled medication rather than consuming tablets and capsules as the inhaled form of medication directly reach the lungs to treat the concerned respiratory complications. These inhaled medications are handheld canister or a nebulizer machine. Patients suffering from severe form of COPD may find it difficult in using a handheld canister so using a nebulizer can be of great relief as it converts liquid medicine into vapor which can be inhaled easily by the patients. Doctors suggest rinsing off the mouth with fresh water to avert possible complications or side- effects.
Surgery is another effective way to remove the exacerbations in the lungs. Lungs volume reduction surgery (LVRS) enables the healthier part of the lungs to work better by removing the badly affected area. The process involves removal of swollen air spaces in the lungs which helps in relaxing the chest and diaphragm to normal level making the breathing more comfortable. The operation helps in making significant changes in eradicating the complex form of COPD which boost the patient’s ability to perform exercises thus improving the quality of life.
Clinical trials have shown that this surgery carries some risks of life threatening situation which is why doctors select limited patients who are able to meet certain criteria that is required before undergoing this operation. The surgery is only limited to people who have emphysema but is not effective for other lungs disorder like bronchitis and asthma.
And lastly lungs transplant is another better way to treat patients with severe COPD. Lung transplant is a high risk operation as there is shortage of a suitable organ donor. With proper medication one can easily breathe better with fewer exacerbations.
Understanding COPD:
The interesting fact about COPD is that most people are unaware that they are affected by this condition. Though smoking is primarily responsible behind this disorder but it has also been observed that this condition is prevalent among those who have never smoked. Once diagnosed with a positive COPD, the ailing patient must immediately quit smoking, and avoid conditions that are exposed to pollutants and harmful chemicals. COPD is not a single disease and involves three respiratory disorders like asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The condition blocks the bronchial tube thus making the breathing more difficult.
Most of the time a patient ignores the initial symptoms of COPD as normal cough and cold. The disease may develop mildly but can get seriously complicated in due course of time making the condition more fatal and grave. So it is necessary to identify the basic differences in the symptoms of COPD and other respiratory syndrome so that the necessary steps can be taken to reduce the severity of the condition. Early detection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can help one to live a longer and active life.
