Long-term smoking, exposure to pollution major reasons for COPD, say doctors

Smoking is one of the predominant reasons for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, according to doctors at Government Rajaji Hospital here. On the World COPD Day on Wednesday, patients at the hospital were educated on ‘Know Your Lung Functions’ to avoid exposure to substances causing the disease.

Smoking is one of the predominant reasons for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, according to doctors at Government Rajaji Hospital here.

On the World COPD Day on Wednesday, patients at the hospital were educated on ‘Know Your Lung Functions’ to avoid exposure to substances causing the disease.

R. Prabhakaran, Head of Pulmonology Department, said though smoking was the major reason for the disease, there were other causes like long-term exposure to indoor and outdoor pollutions. Though it could be said that COPD was a preventable disease, if a person was diagnosed with COPD there was hardly any chance left for reversing it, he noted.

“Some of the major causes for the disease include exposure to industrial pollution from coal, mines, silica dust, indoor pollution like cow-dung burning, outdoor pollution like smoke emanating from vehicles and smoking,” Dr. Prabhakaran said.

In New Delhi, the Air Quality Index had crossed the safety level. In such a situation, someone who was inhaling the bad quality air for many years would be vulnerable to COPD, he said.

Stressing that the disease was irreversible, he said it would manifest through simple symptoms like cold, wheezing and cough, but the condition would be worsening every day.

In this situation, even when a smoker quits smoking after getting COPD symptoms, the symptoms would continue for several years. “Progressive breathlessness is the appropriate term that could be given for this,” he said.