A Message from Dr. Robert Parker, FNHA Senior Medical Officer.
Today, November 19, is "World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Day" – a day for raising awareness of COPD, one of the most widespread diseases around the globe. A non-communicable lung disease that affects breathing, COPD occurs most often in patients over 40 with a history of exposure to its main risk factors including cigarette smoke, air pollution, dust and chemicals. Prevention, therefore, is mainly all about avoiding or quitting these things.
The theme for this year's COPD Day is "The Many Faces of COPD" because it affects so many different people. In Canada, COPD is the leading cause of hospitalization and the fourth-highest cause of death worldwide, responsible for more than three million deaths every year. Further, more than two-thirds of people with the disease don't know they have it.
A key thing to know at this time of the year is that influenza (flu) and pneumococcal (pneumonia) vaccinations are important for every COPD patient, but especially for the elderly and those who spend time with them. This is because these illnesses affect breathing, and people who suffer from COPD already have obstructed airways due to chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both. They cough, become "out of breath," and can develop chronic respiratory infections.
Without treatment, COPD is generally a progressive disease, and as it gets worse, patients become breathless during everyday activities such as climbing stairs, walking or even getting dressed. although breathing is difficult for people who suffer from COPD, and although it is incurable, COPD can be treated and managed once diagnosed.
COPD treatment is most effective when begun early in the course of the disease. However, at all stages of disease, treatments are available that reduce symptoms such as breathlessness and enable people to participate more fully in daily life. A customized action and follow-up plan, including medication, a healthy lifestyle and specific exercises can greatly diminish symptoms.
If you are having issues with your breathing, or are having frequent bouts of bronchitis, it is important to let your physician know. The first step toward treatment and management is a diagnosis. COPD is diagnosed using a breathing test called spirometry, a painless test that takes only a few minutes. It measures the amount of air a person can breathe out, and the amount of time it takes to do so.
Treatment and management include using bronchodilators, which help expand airways; getting moderate physical activity, which also helps with lung function as well as being good for the whole body; good nutrition; and avoiding cigarette smoke, air pollution, dust and chemicals.
About World COPD Day:
The first observation of World COPD Day was organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) in 2002. This observance is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and many others, with hundreds of educational and preventive events held in over 50 countries. The events often include free pulmonary function tests. For more information about GOLD and World COPD Day, see www.goldcopd.org.
