VISAKHAPATNAM: Instances of chronic respiratory illnesses such as COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder) are on the rise in key AP cities, exacerbated mainly by air pollution and aided by cold weather, early morning smog and the habit of smoking.
Medical experts point out that COPD cases are no longer just restricted to the elderly but are also being detected even in younger age groups and with wide scale industrialisation taking place in cities like Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, such cases may go up further in the coming days.
According to doctors, the main symptoms of COPD are continuous cough with sputum and breathlessness. In a patient suffering from COPD, diffusion of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the blood do not take place properly. As a result, adequate oxygen doesn't reach the blood through lungs and more amount of carbon dioxide is retained in the body, causing difficulty in breathing. A chest x-ray and pulmonary function test can reveal the progression of the disease.
Dr M Ravindranath, pulmonologist from Andhra Hospital, Vijayawada, said, "Two-three years ago, only 20-25% of the total patients suffering from various chest ailments had COPD and it was mainly in the elderly population. But nowadays, their number has gone up to 30-35% with even those in their 40s and 50s suffering from COPD mainly due to smoking and increase in air-pollution. Nowadays, out of 10 patients, we see at least 3-4 suffering from COPD."
Agreeing, Dr Sambasiva Rao, medical superintendent of Government Chest Hospital, Visakhapatnam, said that cases of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD have gone up due to increase in pollution levels as well as the presence of smog in the winter season. "We have been getting more cases of COPD due to the cold weather and pollution," he averred.
What is also troublesome is the lack of awareness about non-invasive ventilation (NIV) treatment for COPD despite the fact that it reduces respiratory distress and risk of death considerably, point out doctors.
"A patient in moderate or advanced stages of COPD should be treated with an NIV machine, which assists in decreasing the carbon dioxide level in the blood and thus increases the positive pressure in the lungs, enabling the patients to breathe normally," added Dr Ravindranath.
Prevention of COPD:
Stop smoking
Avoid staying in polluted environment
Adequate nutrition
Regular cardiac follow-up
Perform right breathing techniques through yoga and pranayama
