A Jipmer health education initiative organised on Tuesday sought to raise awareness about two leading causes of breathlessness — asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
A panel of pulmonologists and respiratory physicians provided an overview of the basic differences between asthma and COPD, their symptoms, diagnosis and management.
An audience of about of 300 people, including anganwadi workers and students from various colleges participated in a session themed ‘Asthma and COPD- Threats and Treatment’.
Experts also illustrated the hazards of smoking and urged smokers to quit the habit. COPD is not completely curable but is definitely preventable was the message that was emphasised.
Practical demo
The audience were also given a practical demonstration of how to use inhalation drugs for COPD and asthma.
A team of specialists — Dr. G. Vishnukanth, Assistant Professor, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Dr. R. Venkateswaran, Assistant Professor, Department of General Medicine and Dr. Selvaraja, Senior Resident, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, answered questions from the audience.
The session was moderated by Kalpana Muthuraj, Medical Social Worker, Medico Social Services Wing.
The session, hosted as part of the health education series by the Jipmer Health Education for All forum, was webcast to all Medical Colleges of South India under the National Medical College Network (NMCN) Project through Jipmer Regional Resource Centre.
