The harmful effects of cigarette smoking have been studied for decades. The WHO estimates that tobacco kills half of all smokers. In fact, it is estimated that this habit leaves around eight million deaths a year.
COPD is a chronic, common, preventable and treatable disease that affects the respiratory tract, limiting the normal circulation of air through the lungs, and its main cause is exposure to tobacco smoke, which is responsible for 70% of cases. In colombia.
It is also estimated that the possibility of developing COPD by a smoker is between 25% and 30%. With the aim of contributing to improving the respiratory health of Colombians, GSK joins the World No Tobacco Day and shares some aspects that a smoker should know about COPD.
- COPD is a highly prevalent disease, especially among smokers. In fact, in the country nine out of every 100 people over 40 years of age suffer from the disease.
- In Colombia, COPD and other chronic diseases of the lower tract cause around 23% of deaths from non-communicable diseases, and were the second cause of non-fetal mortality in 2019, and the fourth in 2020 and 2021, after covid -19 diagnosed, unspecified myocardial infarction and presumptive covid.
- COPD is an underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed and undertreated disease. Only a third of all patients have a medical diagnosis, while the other two thirds suffer from the disease without knowing it and without receiving treatment.
- COPD patients have shortness of breath and greater impediments to physical activity, since the symptoms affect their ability to move, impairing their quality of life.
- A patient who presents symptoms such as recurrent cough, respiratory congestion, limitation to perform housework and chest tightness should visit the doctor and tell him about the signs that he presents. This will help to make a correct and timely diagnosis.
- The test to diagnose COPD is spirometry, a painless method that measures lung function. During the test, the patient must blow into a small machine called a spirometer, which measures how much air the lungs can hold and how fast the air is pushed out of the lungs. This test can detect COPD even before you have symptoms of the disease.
- Similarly, At the time of diagnosis, it is key to see the doctor as an ally and not be ashamed to tell him the number of cigarettes a day and the respiratory symptoms. This information will allow the specialist to make the right decisions and give the appropriate treatment to control the disease.
- The most effective and least expensive treatment for smokers living with COPD is precisely to stop smoking, since it delays the progression of the disease and reduces mortality.
- In addition, whenever the doctor considers it necessary, the use of inhalers or control medications is recommended. They are treatments that improve symptoms and control exacerbations, which decreases hospitalizations and mortality from this disease.
Last December, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection updated the Health Benefits Plan (PBS) with the aim of including these therapies for COPD control, so that those who require them can access them through the social security system. Today, doctors in the country have more and better tools to care for patients, who will be able to access solutions that can significantly improve their quality of life.