Every year, World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Day is celebrated on the 3rd Wednesday of November to raise awareness, share knowledge, advocate lung health, and discuss ways to reduce the burden of COPD worldwide. This year, the theme chosen by Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), for World COPD Day is “Your Lungs for Life”. This theme brings out the significance of lifelong lung health in general and for COPD in particular. We all are born with only one set of lungs. From development to adulthood, keeping lungs strong and healthy is fundamental to future health and well-being. Alkem has doubled down efforts to spread awareness about COPD through its initiative Healthy Lungs during World COPD Day. Healthy Lungs portal (www.thehealthylungs.com) is a one-stop knowledge repository to consume knowledge about lung diseases. The portal also acts as an experience-sharing platform for patients with access to the patient community.
COPD is an irreversible disease of the lungs. It is a debilitating condition that obstructs airflow from the lungs, thus hindering one’s ability to carry out day-to-day activities with ease. Globally, 391 million people are currently suffering from COPD. Worldwide, COPD is the third leading cause of death while it is the second leading cause of death in India. The incidence of COPD is rising because of poor air quality in cities like New Delhi and Mumbai. Also, commonly-used things like mosquito repellent coils used at home can cause COPD as exposure to the same at night was found to be equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes together. COPD considerably impacts the quality of life of the patient, families, and careers.”
COPD is a disease resulting from lung damage, most commonly by cigarette smoke. This damage to the airways can result in shortness of breath and tiredness. In addition, patients with COPD are more susceptible to getting chest infections. The most common COPD symptoms are shortness of breath, sputum production and cough. These symptoms are often under-reported by patients, which may contribute to the underdiagnosis of the condition.
People can experience COPD in different ways based on which symptoms trouble them most, how severe they are and how damaged their lungs are. COPD is a slowly progressive illness, and it takes several years before underlying lung damage reaches a level to manifest chronic symptoms. While there is no cure for COPD, there are tools and tips for patients to manage their symptoms, slow the progression of the disease and allow them to live well. A comprehensive approach of taking regular treatment with inhaled bronchodilators, corticosteroids, smoking cessation, and following a balanced diet & exercise schedule with pulmonary rehabilitation will effectively manage COPD. Through Healthy Lungs, Alkem is trying to deliver the right information to the masses to make informed healthcare decisions for better disease outcomes.
For more information, visit Alkem Laboratories (alkemlabs.com)
