A simple, painless breathing test, called spirometry, is a key to reducing the burden of one of the world’s most common lung diseases chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said doctors from Gandhi Medical College.
To observe the World COPD Day on November 19, the citizens will be informed about spirometry. Here on Monday while talking to the mediapersons, renowned physicians Dr Nishant Shrivastava and Dr lokendra Dave informed about COPD and spirometry.
They informed that this illness is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. In India, approximately 30 million people are estimated to be affected by COPD and half a million die every year.
They said that the World COPD Day 2014 will be around the theme ‘It’s not too late. Ask your doctor about a simple breathing test called Spirometry.’ This theme emphasizes the importance of this test in diagnosing the disease.
COPD is a non-communicable lung disease that progressively robs sufferers of breath. “About 25-50 percent people are unaware that they suffer with COPD. The early symptoms of COPD are chronic cough, bringing up sputum, and breathlessness during physical activity such as exercise or walking up a flight of stairs,” said Dr Nishant Shrivastava. “People might discount these symptoms as a normal part of getting older, but they can be signs of a serious disease that needs treatment,” he added.
COPD occurs most often in patients who are over age 40 and who have a history of exposure to COPD risk factors such as smoking, dusts and chemicals.
“People at risk for COPD should have a spirometry test to check for the disease,” said Dr Dave. “The earlier COPD is detected, the more effective treatment can be,” he emphasised.
Although there is no cure for COPD, treatments are available that alleviate symptoms of breathlessness so that patients can participate more fully in daily life. Spirometry measures the amount of air a person can breathe out, and time taken to do so. The test is done using a machine called a spirometer and is usually performed in a clinic. It is a painless test that takes only a few minutes.
Patients may be able to slow or even stop the progress of COPD by reducing their exposure to risk factors for the disease, they added.