Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD) is annually claiming 12 crore lives in India and 60 crore lives all over the world. By the year 2020, COPD will be the third leading killer after cardiac arrest and brain attack (cerebrovascular insult-CVI). These were the alarming statistics associated with COPD, a disease about which people know very little, said Kamineni Hospitals interventional pulmonologist Srinivasa Kumar Ravipati.
Kamineni Hospitals is going to conduct various programme to promote awareness about the disease still November 19, the World COPD Day, he said. Minister for Excise Kollu Ravindra inaugurated a third-day exhibition on COPD at the hospital here on Monday.
The harm caused to the health and life of people who smoke was portrayed well through several posters put up at the exhibition. The posters were in Telugu so that the message went to the common man, Dr Srinivasa Kumar said
The lung tissue of COPD patients gets permanently damaged. “The Alveoli (the terminal end of the respiratory tree) lose their elasticity. Because of this the patients cannot exhale,” explained Dr Srinivasa Kumar. Towards the fag end the patients become completely “oxygen dependent”, he said. The rough thumb rule for identifying persons with COPD was they frequently develop lung infection. If a person developed lung infection three times in year, during two consecutive years, he or she should be tested for COPD, he said. While consumption of cigars was most dangerous, Beedies and cigarettes come next in order with regard to causes for COPD. The consumption of cigars was high in India, he pointed out. A rally would be taken out on November 19 to promote awareness, he said.
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