Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory disease that seriously endangers people’s health. According to the statistics of China COPD Working Group in 2003, the prevalence of COPD in mainland China is 6.5%, and 8.5% of people over 40 years old, which is much higher than that of economically developed countries and regions. The prevalence rate is very alarming. It is already the fourth leading cause of death in the world. Early COPD patients can be asymptomatic, but in the middle and late stages, symptoms such as chest tightness, shortness of breath after activity or coughing and sputum often appear. Without standard treatment or repeated attacks, it can lead to complications such as pulmonary heart disease and pulmonary encephalopathy, and even cause respiratory function and multi-organ failure.
1.What are the main causes of COPD?
The cause of COPD is still not well understood, but it is thought to be related to airway inflammation and stimulation of harmful particles, and may have the following risk factors.
Smoking: Smoking is currently recognized as an important pathogenic factor for COPD, which can make the bronchial epithelial cilia shorter and irregular, cilia movement is impaired, reducing local resistance, weakening the phagocytosis, sterilization, and can cause bronchospasm, increasing airway resistance. Most COPD patients have a history of smoking.
Occupational dust and chemical substances: When the concentration of occupational dust and chemical substances (smoke, allergens, industrial exhaust and indoor air pollution, etc.) is too large or the exposure time is too long to irritate the respiratory tract, it can lead to the occurrence of COPD.
Air pollution: chemical gases such as chlorine, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, etc. have irritating and cytotoxic effects on the bronchial mucosa. Other dusts such as silica, coal dust, cotton dust, and cane dust irritate the bronchial mucosa and impair airway clearance. risk factors for COPD may also be related to the large amount of fumes and fuel-generated soot produced during cooking.
Infections: Respiratory infections caused by viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms are another important factor in the development and exacerbation of COPD.
Other: such as genetic factors, allergies, climate change, etc. are related to the development of COPD.
2.How to find out the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? First of all, please answer a few questions
1.Do you often cough?
2.Do you often have sputum?
3.Do you often feel short of breath after activity?
4.Are you older than 40 years old?
5.Do you smoke now or have you ever smoked regularly?
If you answered “yes” to 3 or more of the above questions, you should see a respiratory physician for a pulmonary function test, which is important for diagnosis. The doctor will conduct a pulmonary function test for you, which can confirm the diagnosis.
3.How to prevent slow-onset lung?
The key to effectively control the occurrence of slow-onset lung is prevention.
Primary prevention: also known as etiological prevention, is the fundamental measure to prevent the disease and eliminate it. Publicize that smoking is harmful to health and smokers should quit smoking immediately. Quitting smoking is an important measure to prevent COPD and avoid the inhalation of harmful dust, smoke or gas. Prevent respiratory infections, including viral, mycoplasma or bacterial infections. Influenza vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine can also be given regularly.
Improving the living standard of patients, increasing nutrition, strengthening health education, improving working environment and conditions, and developing good hygiene habits are all important for the prevention of this disease. Among them, it is important to strengthen the health education of slow-onset lung.
Secondary prevention: also known as “three early” prevention. In other words, early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment, for people with risk factors of COPD, regular lung function tests should be performed to detect COPD early and take corresponding measures to intervene in time.
Tertiary prevention: also known as “clinical prevention”. This is achieved through clinical intervention and treatment, including symptomatic treatment and rehabilitation. For patients who have COPD, they should follow the recommendations of respiratory physicians and actively treat the disease to prevent complications, prevent deterioration, promote functional recovery, improve quality of life, prolong life expectancy, and reduce acute exacerbations and death rates.
4.What should I do if I have slow-onset lung?
1.Know yourself and your enemy–you should receive treatment and health education, master the basic knowledge of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, understand the lesions and the corresponding treatment principles, and cooperate closely with the doctor for treatment.
2.Avoid triggering – Quit smoking and avoid environmental pollution of large and small size are not only important measures to prevent the occurrence of slow obstructive pulmonary disease, but also an important means to slow down the progress of the disease.
3, close monitoring – should be closely monitored changes in the condition and treatment response. Among the clinical symptoms, cough and sputum wheezing is important to judge the condition.
4.Regular monitoring of blood gas and pulmonary function. Once respiratory failure or right heart failure is detected, the patient should be admitted to hospital immediately.
5.Comprehensive treatment-appropriate measures should be taken for patients in stable stage and acute exacerbation stage respectively.
5.How to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?
1.Treatment in the stable stage When your condition is stable, pay attention to receive publicity, education and management, pay special attention to not smoking and control occupational or environmental pollution. Especially to prevent respiratory infections medication such as bronchodilators, expectorants, antioxidants, inhaled glucocorticoid therapy. Oxygen therapy, immunomodulators, Chinese medicine treatment, rehabilitation therapy, respiratory muscle exercise, etc.
2.Treatment of acute exacerbation If you find yourself with more sputum, wheezing aggravation or fever, etc., you should go to hospital for treatment in time. Including oxygen therapy, active control of infection, bronchodilators, glucocorticoids, etc. In addition, with respiratory failure, non-invasive ventilator mechanical ventilation therapy can be preferred, and invasive ventilator mechanical ventilation therapy can be considered when it is ineffective, etc., all of which can bring the condition under control.
3, Chinese medicine treatment COPD Chinese medicine is a lung swelling, wheezing and other categories, Chinese medicine prevention and treatment of the disease has a long history, is an important and effective method of COPD treatment, there are studies show that Chinese medicine treatment can effectively improve lung function and enhance immunity by tonifying the spleen, lungs and kidneys, both in the acute phase or stable phase of Chinese medicine or Chinese and Western medicine combined treatment have very good efficacy, side effects are small, not only can stop cough and phlegm It can not only relieve cough and asthma, but also play the role of systemic regulation.
If you have slow obstructive pulmonary must go to the hospital, under the guidance of the doctor to adhere to the drug treatment, and at the same time to master some knowledge about prevention and treatment to improve the effectiveness of treatment, reduce the acute attack of the disease and improve your quality of life.