(Health Korea News / Junyoung Choi) Last November 16th was World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Day. This day was established to raise awareness of the dangers of COPD and the importance of prevention and early management, and to help more patients receive an early diagnosis. COPD is a disease that is difficult to cure once it develops. Early management and prevention are especially important because it gradually weakens lung function without symptoms.
COPD is a respiratory disease that causes breathing difficulties due to chronic inflammation in the bronchi and lungs caused by smoking, occupational exposure to harmful gases, air pollution, and lung infections. The biggest cause of COPD is smoking. 70-80% are related to smoking. Smokers are more likely to develop COPD than non-smokers, and 15-20% of smokers are known to suffer from this disease.
Emphysema occurs when the bronchi narrow and lung tissue is damaged due to chronic inflammation. This causes the airways to become narrow, preventing air from moving smoothly when breathing, making breathing difficult. COPD is a dangerous disease in which airflow limitation can progress and eventually become life-threatening.
The main symptoms of COPD are difficulty breathing, persistent cough, and phlegm. In the beginning, the symptoms are mild and easy to overlook in daily life, but as the disease progresses, they can interfere with daily life, such as difficulty breathing and pressure in the chest. In particular, smokers often ignore COPD symptoms, mistaking them for a general cough or shortness of breath caused by smoking, which leads to a delay in diagnosis. If early symptoms are suspected, early detection is necessary through examination.
There are many cases where patients pass by without knowing their condition.
Compared to the frequency and severity of COPD, patients often delay treatment without knowing their condition. People with risk factors should undergo regular lung examinations and, if symptoms appear, visit a hospital immediately for testing.
COPD can be diagnosed through lung function tests. It is diagnosed through lung function tests for people with a long history of smoking or risk factors. It can be distinguished from other respiratory diseases through chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT). For seriously ill patients, arterial blood gas is tested to measure oxygen and carbon dioxide saturation, and an appropriate treatment plan is established based on this.
The most important thing in COPD management is smoking cessation. Regardless of age, all COPD patients can slow the deterioration of lung function by quitting smoking. Symptoms can be alleviated and risks prevented through drug treatment such as bronchodilators and inhaled steroids, and for elderly patients, pneumococcal or influenza vaccination helps prevent acute worsening due to infection.
Regular physical activity is also necessary. Daily exercise relieves breathing difficulties and has a positive effect on mental health, such as depression and anxiety. Rehabilitation treatment and drug treatment also help improve symptoms and prevent complications. In particular, if you are a smoker over the age of 40, it is a good idea to get a chest X-ray periodically to check your lung health.
Early diagnosis through regular checkups, such as lung function tests, is the best way to alleviate the patient’s symptoms and prevent them from progressing to severe disease. With the advancement of medicine, COPD has become a controllable disease whose progression can be prevented with consistent management, so active testing and treatment are needed. (Written by Professor Choi Jun-young, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic University)
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