Has anyone ever explained why you have COPD?

Has anyone ever explained why you have COPD?

Classic COPD appearences as pulmonary enphisema & Chronic bronchitis

Make the following experiment: Inhale as much as you can, fill your lungs with air and hold your breath. Now, exhale a little, and soon after hold your breath. From this point (even with lungs full of air), to breathe again, but based on this interval.
It is exactly this way that a COPD patient breathes with lungs full of air, but with an ability to Exhale (put the air out) Limited.
This is because COPD, an acronym for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (more commonly known as emphysema or chronic bronchitis), causes an inflammation in the bronchi of the lungs that obstruct the air passage. As the air out of the lung must be “pushed” by a positive pressure generated by the muscles, he finds difficulty and became trapped, leads to hyperinflation, one of the reasons for the lack of air or oxygen.
COPD
COPD is a disease still largely unknown by most people, including their holders.
The profile of the person with COPD is generally a person smoking, about 40 years and that has as its main symptoms are cough and shortness of breath.
Smokers think the cough is a natural product that comes “free” with the cigarette and that one day will pass … Big mistake! The cough does not cease, by contrast, tends to worsen and the smoker becomes accustomed to thinking that the cough is normal!
Diagnosis of COPD
The vast majority of people who smoke because they think they made a chest x-ray recently, and this is with the report “normal.” Unfortunately the picture is not all! The chest radiograph may be normal, even though the patient may have COPD.
The lab exam that diagnoses COPD is spirometry or pulmonary function test (also known as “blow test”). The spirometry assesses lung function data that may indicate to be a smoker with COPD.
But remember: Smoking causes 52 different diseases and COPD is one of them!
Tobacco Industry & COPD smoker
For the “happiness” of tobacco industry, as cigarettes industries, smokers think they can quit at any time. This, for the vast majority of people do not happen, for one simple reason:

Cigarettes contain nicotine that is an addiction substance, provokes quimic dependency and makes very difficult to quit smoking!
Accordind to PULMAOSA Medical Editor, Dr. Marcos Nascimento: “Quit smoking without medical supervision is extremely difficult, only 3-5 people among 100 do. Hence the need to search for medical and psychological help to start a cognitive behavioral treatment, complement Dr. Nascimento. And if you need to use medication to alleviate withdrawal symptoms – which is that irrepressible desire to return to smoking, there are some medicines available today. Thus, the treatment of smokers have a greater chance of success and you can prevent the progression of COPD.
Tobacco Industries and its Marketing Policy
Like any commercial enterprise, tobacco industries target PROFIT, and just want to be able to pay their shareholders. Tobacco Industries obviously know that the customer can get sick! In fact, it’s just knowing that your customers will get sick and may die or cease to be customers, they have developed a highly focused marketing on young people and women to feed back their customer base and therefore continue their lucrative business.
There is a Chinese saying that someone asks when is the best time to plant a tree. And the answer says that the best time was twenty years ago. The second best time is now!
Therefore, so it is with COPD and smoking: The Best, would be no smoking at any time, but will ALWAYS be an excellent time to STOP SMOKING. Therefore, seek the help of a pulmonologist to informs you about the dangers of smoking and lead the best treatment for COPD.
Sources:
PULMAOSA- Lungs: Your Atmosphere, Your Life!

This Diwali remember – What you burn is what you breathe!

As sure as Diwali is a festival of lights, sweets, gaiety, splendor & fireworks, it is also one of deafening noise, blinding light, risky fire & suspended particles. And this has direct effects on our health & environment. When the entire nation looks forward to Diwali as a celebration of life, patients suffering from Asthma & COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) begin readying there lifesavers – Inhalers, nebulizers or whatever gives them a breath of life. For these people Diwali is not a festival of light & gaiety but that of smoke, coughing & wheezing.

Fireworks are sources of some of the highly toxic inhalants produced during Diwali celebrations. Firecrackers are “power packed” with potassium nitrate, carbon & sulfur. Apart from this they also contain toxic contents like copper, cadmium, lead, manganese, magnesium, zinc, sodium, potassium, and aluminum powder & barium nitrate.  When ignited, the crackers burst allowing these powerful chemicals to come in contact with atmosphere and the smoke thus generated contains increased amounts of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulfide & particulate matter which worsen the quality of Diwali air. The suspended particles hog like a thick blanket reducing visibility and suffocating the atmosphere. In fact studies have demonstrated that during Diwali festival the concentration of sulfur dioxide increased by 10 times & that of nitrogen dioxide, PM10(Particulate matter of size less than 10 microns) & TSP(Total Suspended Particles) increased by 2 to 3 times. The Overall air pollution during Diwali increases by about 200 %. The biggest culprits among firecrackers are the colour sparkles (“Phuljari”), “Anar”, “Chakri”, Fire pencils, Snake tablets & “Hydrogen” bomb.

A special mention may be made of PM10. With the average PM10 charge, we inhale millions of fine particles with each breath. The larger particles( 5 to 10 microns) are filtered in the nose & throat, smaller particles (3 to 5 microns) arrive in the bronchial tube, bronchi (2 to 3 microns), bronchioles (1 to 2 microns) & in alveoli (0.1 to 2 microns) & finally in the blood. These particles can no longer be coughed up & as deposits lead in long term to inflammation, particularly in asthmatics, & also with healthy people, although they may not notice the immediate irritant effects.

When we inhale such a highly toxic and polluted air during Diwali, how can escape from its ill effects? The harmful oxides present in the Diwali fumes come into contact with the moisture while passage from the nostrils to the lungs & form acids which cause immense damage to the body.

The Diwali smoke potentially leads to development of various respiratory ailments like –Allergic bronchitis, acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma & COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), allergic rhinitis, laryngitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, common cold, acute eosinophilic pneumonia, reactive airway dysfunction syndrome, etc.

Children, pregnant women, asthmatics & senior citizens are highly prone to these potentially harmful effects of Diwali smoke.

Here is a list of precautions that need to be followed during Diwali celebrations.

Precautions to be followed by asthmatics:

1.      Stay away from people burning crackers.

2.      Keep the inhalers and other medicines ready beforehand (both maintenance & reliever medications).

3.      Consult your doctor and start maintenance dose of inhalers a few days before the festival & continue the same two days after Diwali.

4.      In severe cases rescue medications need to be taken & if not relieved contact your doctor immediately.

5.      Better do not venture out in the evening of Diwali. Stay in company of friends and family members in house.

6.      If need to venture outside use masks (N95 masks have been technically recommended).

7.      Consult your doctor regarding pulmonary vaccination in advance.

8.      Stay away during colouring and white washing of house before Diwali because these also act as “triggers” of an asthma attack.

9.      If possible plan a visit to some hill-station / ecoclean place (which is not much crowded) during Diwali festival.

Precautions to be followed by every one of us during Diwali festival:

1.      Avoid /decrease the firework celebrations & play “ecosafe” Diwali.

2.      Enjoy Diwali with lamp, lanterns & diyas.

3.      Fireworks if carried out should be done in open grounds, away from residential areas & during fixed time limits.

We should remember that one person’s idea of fun could be an asthma patient’s nightmare. Asthma patients have as much right as us to stick around and enjoy Diwali. And ultimately for our own benefit we should not forget that “what we burn is what we breathe”, this Diwali.

Author:

Dr. Gyanshankar Mishra

MBBS, MD(Pulmonary Medicine), DNB(Respiratory Diseases)

Chest Physician, Nagpur

email address: chestcareclinic@gmail.com .