Chronic affliction: Smoking leading cause of pulmonary disease

Deaths, injuries and disability from disease rise in developing countries due to smoking

Smoking is the major contributor that accounts for up to 75 per cent of all cases of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), according to health experts in a media briefing marking a COPD awareness campaign.

“Not only are smokers are at higher risk, but they also harm others by passive smoking.” They urged people to stay away from smoking and other air pollutants.

“More than 6.9 million people have been affected from COPD in Pakistan and it is expected that by 2020 it will be the third leading cause of chronic disease death worldwide,” said Dr Aftab Akhtar, head of pulmonology at Shifa International Hospital. He said that COPD is a common preventable disease.

Deaths, injuries and disability from COPD will rise in developing countries, primarily, due to the increased rate of smoking. Smoking remains a major and growing public health issue, even in Pakistan.

Dr Shazli Manzoor, head of pulmonology and medical director at Kulsum International Hospital and Chest Clinic Islamabad, said treatment and awareness of COPD has become a challenge. He said it is one of the most common respiratory disorders worldwide, affecting nearly 210 million people.

Referring to a study on COPD titled ‘BREATHE’, he said the disease is on the rise in Pakistan, one of the 11 countries surveyed. The study showed that awareness of COPD among smokers was very low.

He said many patients are poorly informed about COPD and its management and much can be done to improve education on the disease. Better patient education and more effective patient-physician communication are clearly required, he added.

COPD prevalence is generally higher in men than in women, he added.

Any patient above 40 who has laboured breathing, chronic cough, a history of smoking, an occupation with dust and chemicals, a history of asthma, allergy or other respiratory diseases, may be a victim of COPD, Dr Manzoor said.

Experts stressed that patients have to take care of their routines and habits, including avoiding ‘triggers’ such as cigarette smoke, air pollution, chemical fumes and dust.

We have to realise that COPD is a chronic disease and has no point of return, the experts concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd,  2015.