Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) is a disease caused by inflammation of the lungs resulting in obstructed airflow from the lungs. Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema are two conditions which contribute in COPD. Chronic Bronchitis is inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes. These tubes carry air to and from the air sacs of the lungs. Emphysema is a condition in which the air sacs at the ends of the smallest air passages of the lungs are destroyed mainly due to exposure to smoke.

The symptoms of Chronic Bronchitis are daily cough and mucous production. The symptoms of COPD are breathing difficulty, cough, sputum and wheezing. In any case the best thing to do is to consult a good lung specialist or a pulmonologist for the problem. People with COPD are at an increased risk of heart disease, lung cancer and other respiratory problems.

The main cause of COPD in India is cigarette or bidi smoking, exposure to smoke during cooking or burning waste. The polluted air in Indian cities for most times of the year are a big contributor in COPD.

People with COPD are more likely to catch cold, flu or pneumonia. Apart from Heart Disease and Lung Cancer, COPD also causes increased blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries. When you are unable to do activities which gives you heaviness due to breathing problems, it also gives rise to depression in patients of COPD.

DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT

If you have been smoking for a long time and experience symptoms like breathing difficulty, daily cough etc then you should see a pulmonologist or lung specialist without any delay. The doctor will get tests like Pulmonary Function Test, Chest X-Ray, CT Scan of Chest, Arterial Blood Gas Analysis etc. High Resolution CT Scan of the Chest is a one of the best test for diagnosing lung diseases.

The treatment for COPD includes Lifestyle modification, medication and in some cases surgery. If COPD has been caused due to smoking then quitting is the first step to reverse the disease. Nicotine replacement therapy can also help the patients of COPD which has been caused due to tobacco smoking. Electronic cigarettes can also be of great help. Bronchodilators which are administered through inhalers are commonly prescribed by the lung specialist or pulmonologist. They are also of great help as they relax the muscles around the airways in lungs. This helps in reducing the coughing and makes the breathing easier. Inhaling corticosteroids also helps in reducing the inflammation.

Some patients might have to be given oxygen therapy if the oxygen saturation is low. Use of BiPAP machine at home also helps in improving the symptoms.

Lung Volume Reduction Surgery is done in some patients in which the surgeon will remove some portion of the damaged lung tissue which allows the healthy tissue to expand.

BEST DOCTORS AND COST

Dr Aman Pratap Singh is one of the best critical care specialist in Narsinghpur for the treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). If you are a smoker then you should get your lungs checked immediately by a good lung sepcialist for any early signs of COPD. Not all smokers will develop COPD and Dr Singh would be able to tell you if you are a candidate for COPD. Such patients should either quit smoking or atleast reduce the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Regular exercise like Yoga with special focus on `Pranayam' can help you in improving the lung capacity and reduce the chances of COPD developing at a later stage. Any kind of aerobic exercise also helps in improving the lung volume and keeps the airways open. Doing gargles with lukewarm water 2-3 times in a day and consuming warm water will help in reducing the mucous. Regular clinical examination with a good physician is extremely important and best to nip the disease in the bud before it becomes too difficult to handle.

Dr Aman Pratap Singh is the Chief Physician and Critical Care Specialist at LNM Hospital Narsinghpur. He can be consulted in the OPD for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The consultation fee is Rs. 300 and the timing for consultation is from 11 am - 3 pm.