* Exposure to tobacco smoke is a major cause of chronic bronchitis or emphysema, reaffirming dependence.
Editorial|CN COLIMANOTICAS
Colima State – The Health Secretariat of the Colima State Government advises people to quit smoking or not to start smoking as this is the best way to prevent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which can lead to death.
He added that COPD (chronic bronchitis or emphysema) is a progressive and potentially fatal lung disease characterized by a persistent reduction in airflow, primarily due to exposure to tobacco smoke, whether by active or passive smokers By.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), smoking accounts for more than 70% of COPD cases in high-income countries and between 30% and 40% in low- and middle-income countries.
In the framework of World COPD Day, the national agency said that in addition to recurrent lower respiratory tract infections in childhood, other risk factors for the disease include indoor and outdoor air pollution, occupational exposure to dust and chemicals.
suggestion
To reduce the risk of contracting the disease, the SS asks the population to take preventive measures, such as avoiding exposure to smoke and air pollutants from biomass fuels (cooking with charcoal or wood), while not forgetting that controlling environmental pollution can improve health. patient’s health.
Likewise, he noted that vaccinations are important, so pneumococcal and influenza vaccines should be given to patients with this condition, as they reduce the likelihood of pneumonia, hospitalization and exacerbation.
He pointed out that this disease develops slowly and usually becomes apparent after the age of 40 or 50. The most common symptoms are difficulty breathing, chronic cough and sputum (mucus).
The World Health Organization identifies COPD as the third leading cause of death worldwide, causing 3.23 million deaths in 2019; and in Mexico, until 2016, 10% of the population suffered from the disease, according to the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER). There is this disease.