This year’s Proclamation of the Republic holiday will also mark another anniversary. November 15, 2023 is World COPD Day. The date, held every year on the third Wednesday of November, aims to raise awareness of this condition, which is one of the main causes of disability in Brazil. CDD participates in this mobilization through the #RespireVida campaign, which plans to showcase pathways to improved quality of life and focus on #VivercomDPOC.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: COPD is a general term used to describe progressive lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and refractory asthma. It is a currently incurable respiratory disease characterized by shortness of breath, frequent coughing, wheezing and chest tightness.
It is estimated that approximately 12% of adults in Brazil have COPD, with the incidence increasing with age. In Brazil, COPD is the fifth leading cause of death (third in 2020) and one of the leading causes of hospitalization. In addition to its human impact, COPD has a huge economic impact, according to a survey conducted by FIRJAN, the Rio de Janeiro state industrial federation. In 2017, approximately 20,7 retirees became disabled due to illness, resulting in social security costs of R$ 2.021 billion. In addition to social security costs, there is a significant impact on productivity, with COPD causing 68 to <> over <> 10,000 days of work lost.
The main risk factors for COPD are environmental factors such as smoking, pollution and harmful gases, and genetics.
Quality of Life and COPD: Because COPD is such a disabling disease, it can have a very large impact on a person’s quality of life. Because this is a progressive condition, it affects the ability to breathe and may make simple daily tasks, such as bathing or dressing, impossible due to the lack of air. In some cases, patients become dependent on home oxygen therapy, which makes mobility more difficult. People with COPD often suffer from depression due to a loss of autonomy and constant fatigue.
Still, #ViverComDPOC is not a death sentence, there are treatments, and it is possible for people with COPD to gain quality of life. To do this, daily life and habits need to be adjusted: healthy eating, sleeping habits, avoiding alcohol, and stress management are important practices for people with COPD. If the person is a smoker, quitting smoking is necessary, but it is also important to avoid passive smoking, which means the importance of support from family and close friends: there are options and treatments for managing cravings, and they are available . . Physical exercise is also important to increase the resistance of the lungs, but it is important to have professional follow-up. Before any exercise, it is necessary to consult a doctor.
Smoking is the biggest culprit in COPD: 85% of COPD deaths are caused by active or passive smoking, which is the main risk factor for the disease. After years of anti-smoking and information campaigns and restrictions on cigarettes, the number of smokers in Brazil has dropped significantly, with only about 8% of the population currently being smokers. However, vaping is one of the major risks to lung health today. Such products, created under the guise of helping to quit addiction, quickly became popular in several countries, attracting young people and teenagers who had never smoked before. A survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 20% of high school students regularly used e-cigarettes in 2018. Although many people believe that e-cigarettes are harmless, e-cigarettes not only contain a certain level of nicotine, making users more dependent, but their ingredients are also high in chemicals that are harmful to lung health.
The Bundesrat has launched a public consultation on a bill that would allow the sale of e-cigarettes in Brazil. Due to their short time on the market, there are no studies to measure the long-term health damage of e-cigarettes or to guarantee the safety of using the product, as there are so many different types of e-cigarettes. Flavors and ingredients. However, studies have confirmed that vaping increases the risk of high blood pressure and diabetes and is just as harmful to health as regular cigarettes.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Lights on the Border: The event in Iguazu will illuminate the three bridges that connect Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay: the New Brazil-Paraguay Bridge, the Argentina Bridge and the Friendship Bridge, as well as the Triple Border landmark and the Iguazu Ferris Wheel. All of this will accompany event guests on their tour of Catamaran on the Iguazú River. On board, guests will enjoy a dinner with live music. In addition to CDD representatives, representatives from social investors Sanofi, GSK and Chiesi will also attend the event.
CDD Vice President Bruna Rocha said that in addition to educating people about the disease, such events are also a way to raise awareness among public managers and health managers. “People with COPD suffer first from prejudice and poor care” because most He is an elderly person, and the second reason is because of smoking. This campaign wants to show that people with COPD deserve good care, they deserve to be cared for and they especially deserve to be treated well. There are good treatments for COPD, but not everyone has access to them. Most importantly, there is a lack of correct diagnosis. “The sooner people know they have the disease, the better their chances.”
The #BreathLife campaign also coincides with the production and delivery of informational materials in various formats on the CDD network (Instagram and Facebook), including an e-book containing nutrition and COPD material, on quality of life and COPD video series, and live sessions with experts in respiratory therapy and physical therapy.
About CDD:LThe Chronicle of Everyday Life (CDD) – https://cdd.org.br/ – is a non-profit organization that believes dialogue is a bridge so that no one has to live with a chronic illness alone. The goal of CDD’s work is to expand the life prospects of people with chronic illness by supporting human beings in reaching their full potential through programs and content so that people are not defined or reduced to a diagnosis. It has been running a campaign on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) since 2019, which will receive social investment from pharmaceutical companies GSK, Sanofi and Chiesi in 2023.
SOURCE City Portal