Chronic obstructive lung diseases

Chronic obstructive lung diseases

Chronic obstructive lung diseases refer to a group of lung diseases that obstruct the flow of air from the lungs. It causes a person to cough, breathe with a lot of difficulties, to gasp, and excessive production of mucus. The leading causes are exposure to irritating gases such as cigarettes. In most cases, people suffering from COPD are at higher risk of getting heart disease and lung cancer. Therefore, it is not a small disease because it can cause death within a short time.

The leading cause of the disease in advanced nations is tobacco smoking. In some regions of the world, the main reasons are exposure to fumes from cooking fuel in poorly ventilated houses. The main risk factors for COPD are outdoor and indoor air pollution, tobacco smoking, and industrial dust. Others include chemicals in the form of vapor, fumes, and irritants. One of the leading indoor pollutants is biomass that most communities in use in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia use it for cooking fuel in poorly ventilated rooms.

The leading cause of COPD is tobacco smoke that affects the smoking individual and passive smokers. Although tobacco is the leading cause in advanced nations, the indoor population is the leading cause of the disease in developing countries. The main reason is that more than 3 billion people use biomass and coal as their primary source of energy for heating and cooking. In such communities, citizens are exposed to indoor pollution than to tobacco smoking and other risk factors. It is common for women in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia to use biomass for cooking fuel. As a result, they suffer from the disease as the largest population of nonsmokers. The WHO estimates that indoor pollution caused by burning firewood kills close to two million women and children annually. Additional risks include lower respiratory infections during childhood, industrial chemicals, and dust, among others.

The burden of the disease

The WHO estimates that 65 million global citizens suffer from Chronic Obstructive lung disease. Its reports indicate that there were more than 3 million people in 2005 lost their lives to the disease in the developed world. Notably, most of the information available on the condition comes from the developed nation, and similar statistics are missing from the developing countries. Therefore, the annual deaths across the world can be higher than the current estimates when statistics from developing countries become available. In the past, the disease was not a serious concern because it affected smoking men. However, it has become a source of interest with the increase of tobacco use among women, and exposure to indoor air pollution has changed the narrative. Today the disease affects women and men equally, making it essential to provide remedy accessible to all people across the world.

Chronic Obstructive lung diseases have gradually become deadly, causing a considerable number of deaths annually. In 1990, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked it as the twelfth leading cause of death in the world (Pauwels, 2001). By the year 2002, it was the fifth cause of death in the world in 2002. Therefore, if the current trends remain constant, the mortality associated with the disease is likely to increase unless there are deliberate steps to counter the problem. By 2030, it could be the third killer in the world.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of a chronic obstructive lung disease uses a simple procedure known as spirometry. It involves using a machine to measure the capacity of a person’s lungs to perform their duties. It captures the speed at which air moves in and out of the lungs of a patient. It achieves this objective by measuring the depth of a person’s breathing.

Prevention and Control Measures (Management)

An effective management plan for the control of COPD has entailed dealing with four essential components. The first consideration is the assessment and monitoring of the diseases, followed by a plan to reduce the risk factors and managing the patients to ensure that they are healthy and stable. Finally, it is taking the necessary steps to ensure that the diseases do not recur. From the moment a patient reports to a health care facility, the professionals work to ensure that the symptoms do not progress in severity. They work hard to relieve the symptoms, improve their tolerance to the diseases, and change the trajectory of the health of the person to become better. Therefore, the moment a patient reports to a health care facility, the workers target to treat all the complications and avoid mortality.

During an assessment, health care professionals investigate the history of the person. They learn whether the person has a history of exposure to the predisposing conditions. In some cases, the presence of difficulties in breathing cannot be conclusive evidence that a patient is suffering from a particular disease. Individuals who show signs of excessive sputum production and chronic cough with a history of exposure should be tested for the disease straightway. Health workers that come into contact with COPD patients should have spirometry.

One method of protecting a person from suffering from the disease is to reduce the risk factors. One approach is to reduce exposure to occupational dust, tobacco smoke, and indoor as well as outdoor air pollutants. Since tobacco smoking is the single most cause of the disease, smoking cessation is the best prevention mechanism. It is the most cost-effective way to reduce the chances of developing and stopping the progression of COPD. It is also essential to treat tobacco dependence whenever a patient visits a health care provider. At the same time, counseling services are crucial tools in managing people. There are three types of counseling, namely practical counseling and social support arrangement. There are also reliable pharmacotherapies for tobacco dependence that health care professionals can use in addition to counseling services to have an all-rounded treatment.

The third component of managing the disease is to stabilize the patient, depending on the severity of the illness. The best strategy to manage COPD is to use stepwise treatment. At the same time, health education is an essential consideration for COPD patients to help them cope with the illness. Educating people is critical because it can encourage smokers to stop smoking and, in the process, improve the status of their health.

Global action and last updates

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the institution that leads to a worldwide movement. Therefore, it recognizes that the disease is a significant public health issue that requires the attention of governments and private sector practitioners. It also coordinates international efforts to combat the disease. It does this by supporting national governments to create awareness about the illness and reduce the possible death toll that may result from an ignorant world population. It is critical to creating public awareness about the disease to make sure that the public and health workers are aware of it and understand the severity of the issue to deal with emerging challenges. The organization also organizes and coordinates epidemiological surveillance to understand worldwide and regional trends in the disease. It also develops and implements strategies for the management and prevention of the disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also developed a global alliance against respiratory diseases to rally support for its activities. GARD is a voluntary institution bringing national governments and global organizations and agencies towards a common goal of improving the health of lungs across the world. The alliance seeks to ensure that all people in the world have a chance to have healthy lungs to breathe fresh air. GARD aims to create synergies across the globe in dealing with the disease and other chronic diseases. It focuses its activities in vulnerable populations as well as low-income countries where more significant people have no chance to support their health care programs. The global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD) is part of GARD.

The World Health Organization (WHO) seeks to address the issue of tobacco use through the development of an international treaty known as the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The organization understands that this is crucial in the elimination of chronic lung diseases. The FCTC seeks to confirm that people have a right to access the highest standard of health. It is a concept that was developed by participating nations to stop the spread of the tobacco epidemic in the world. It seeks to address issues such as cross-border effects such as tobacco advertising, foreign direct investments, trade liberalization, and illicit trade in tobacco products.

The preamble to the convention shows that the countries were aware of the danger that tobacco possesses to the world. Therefore, they seek to protect the public interest of the people because tobacco consumption has economic, social, health, and environmental consequences. The treaty notes that there is adequate scientific evidence to prove that tobacco smoking is a severe health problem. It also shows that there advertising and promotion and illicit trade making it necessary to work in unity to tackle the issues.

The treaty addresses ways that governments can follow to communicate the information to the public. For example, article 11 demands that states develop strategies that prevent misleading tobacco labeling and packaging. Therefore, governments have to ensure that tobacco packages exhibit ample health warnings that describe the negative consequences of tobacco use. On the other hand, Article 12 demands that the states develop programs that sensitize the citizens on the dangers of tobacco use. They have to use all available means such as media campaigns, education, and training to ensure that the message reaches as many citizens as possible. Therefore, there the WHO is leading the world in tackling the problems caused by tobacco smoking, which is the most significant cause of Chronic Obstructive Lung Diseases. Control in tobacco use would reduce the prevalence of the disease in the world as well.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Chronic obstructive lung diseases are a group of lung diseases that prevent the regular flow of air in and out of the lungs. A person suffering from these diseases has difficulty breathing, which is a leading cause of death in the world. Some of the common causes of the disease are exposure to tobacco smoke, indoor and outdoor air pollution, among others. The World Health Organization (WHO) is leading the world in developing strategies to prevent it from continuing to kill people. One of the areas that the organization is concentrating on is reducing the use of tobacco in the world. It is working with the help of national governments because they have the systems to implement the law. These efforts are essential in reversing tobacco smoking trends in the world and the process, reducing the prevalence of the disease.