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Suffering from COPD? Follow these essential tips

Dr Vivek Anand Padegal, Consultant in Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru, lists out the causes and treatment.

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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : November 23, 2018 12:35 PM IST

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Eat vegetables and fruits to deal with COPD. ©Shutterstock

Do you have a nagging cold or cough that you can't get rid of? Does it make it harder to breathe? "With the pollution levels increasing in the city, chances of contracting Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder has increases. India factors amongst the countries that have a significant growing number of COPD patients that are increasing.," says Dr Vivek Anand Padegal, Consultant in Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru. He lays down the causes.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder is a chronic lung disease that makes it very hard to breathe. It damages the airways and air sacs in your lungs and leads to the patient feeling short of breath and negatively impacting their daily activities. Smoking is known to be the top cause for this disease, non-smokers can develop this disease too. In India especially in rural areas smoke from ovens, stoves can cause this disease.

People with COPD have an increased risk of suffering from Lung cancer, heart diseases and other conditions.

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Patients many times tend to dismiss these symptoms, thinking it's a cold. However, if some of these persist, it is recommended to consult a doctor immediately to keep a check on your COPD.

  • Shortness of breath, while engaging in physical activities
  • Wheezing
  • Tightness of chest
  • Heavy mucus being coughed out (White, yellow or green)
  • Constant fatigue
  • Significant weight loss (usually occurs in later stages)
  • Cyanosis (a condition where the lips or fingernail beds turn blue)

Causes

  • Smoking: COPD is triggered by long-term smoking. But it affects only around 20-30% of smokers, so if a non-smoker has a genetic susceptibility to the disease, they are prone to it too.
  • Pollution: The air we breathe has a lot of smoke, dust, fumes and chemicals emitted in the environment. These irritants can damage your lungs.
  • Genetic: Alpha-1 deficiency: A very small amount of the population suffers from this rare genetic form of COPD called Alpha-1-deficiency related emphysema. The body is unable to generate the Alpha-1 protein that's responsible for protecting the lungs and the damage leads to COPD

Prevention

COPD is preventable and treatable. If you're a smoker, the most effective way to relieve yourself of COPD is to quit smoking. If you didn't get COPD by smoking, then the cause should probably be re-evaluated. Are you exposed to toxic fumes at your workplace? Do you inhale large amounts of dust from your environment? If so, then seek a doctor's opinion on how best to protect yourself with respiratory equipment.

Treatment

  • Smoking cessation: This is the most effective treatment, stopping prevents increasing the on going damage the cigarette smoke is causing in the lungs.
  • Bronchodilators: Bronchodilators are medicines, usually taken with the help of an inhaler or nebulizer that help relax the tight muscles around the airways, making it easier to breathe. They may also decrease the inflammation in the airways.
  • Vaccines: A COPD patient has an increased risk of contracting other respiratory illnesses. Keeping that in mind, your doctor might prescribe certain flu shots, or pneumococcal vaccines.
  • Exercise: Especially in advanced patients, pulmonary rehabilitation helps patient increase endurance, quality of life and sense of well being

Dietary plan

  • Lean and green fighting machine: Patients with asthma, COPD or bronchitis can focus their meal plan on lean proteins like eggs, fish, nuts and beans in addition to their daily fruits, vegetables and whole grains consumption.

Things to avoid

  • Reduce sodium: Excessive consumption of sodium leads to fluid retention, which tends to worsen the shortness of breath that most patients with COPD will face.
  • Excessive Starch especially in severe COPD patients can cause carbon dioxide levels to increase and this negatively impacts the body
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Editorial Team

Editorial Team

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