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It is also essential to quit smoking. TASR informed Ivana Vaněková of Louis Pasteur University Hospital (UNLP) Košice of this, stating that the number of COPD patients is increasing. This is the third most common cause of death.
It destroys the lungs
COPD is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways – bronchi and lungs. It is caused by long-term inhalation of pollutants. Most often it is the inhalation of cigarette smoke while smoking, more rarely, the disease manifests itself in the context of a long-term stay in a polluted workplace or environment. Its danger also lies in the fact that the lungs do not hurt and therefore it is more difficult to diagnose.
“The disease is characterized by a narrowing of the lumen of the bronchi, which results in a reduction in lung volumes and capacities during spirometric examination of the lungs. It manifests itself with a progressive worsening of dyspnea (observed with less and less effort) and chronic cough,“explained the director of the clinic of pulmonology and physiology Pavol Joppa. The disease cannot be cured, the goal of treatment is to slow down the loss of lung functions, ideally to stabilize them.
According to him, drug treatment is based on inhaled drugs that act mainly to enlarge the bronchi, to a lesser extent to reduce inflammation. “In the terminal stages of the disease, in case of respiratory failure, long-term home oxygen therapy is given, or non-invasive ventilation support using a respirator and face mask, “he added.
Stop it already
It is also necessary to stop the exposure of the respiratory tract to harmful effects – in the case of smoking it is necessary stop smoking. Adequate regular physical activity is also appropriate. According to Jopp, regular use of COPD medications will maintain control of airway inflammation. What flares up and gets worse increases the risk of various respiratory viral diseases, such as the flu. As he said, every such patient should be protected against her every year with vaccination.
The number of patients is increasing
In Slovakia, around 90,000 people are diagnosed with COPD, their number likely to be higher. However, these are people with an unrecognized disease. The UNLP states this it affects about 12 percent of the adult population worldwidewhich is approximately 385 million people. The hospital recalls that patients with chronic lung diseases such as respiratory allergies, asthma or COPD do not have a significantly higher risk of developing COVID-19 than the rest of the population. The most risky are the elderly and smokers. About ten percent of these patients end up in hospital with COVID-19.
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