September 26, 2023 – 12:11 pm
within the framework world lung day and National Pulmonologist DayCelebrated on both dates every September 25, “Dr. Ramón Madariaga” emphasizes prevention and early detection of respiratory diseases to avoid health complications.
In this sense, Dr. Susana Azcona, Head of the Department of Pulmonology at the School Hospital, mentioned that the purpose of making these days visible is to encourage actions to improve global respiratory health and to detect lung lesions early in order to prevent their occurrence. Progress and complications of patients, their environment and society.
Why is it important to monitor respiratory health?
Professionals explain that respiratory diseases are mostly preventable. Medical control and monitoring of the lungs can help find an accurate diagnosis and take the necessary steps to avoid more serious conditions, control symptoms, and improve quality of life.
Regarding early respiratory symptoms, Azcona explained, Cough, expectoration, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. “Tobacco smoke is an important pollutant in the home; simply ventilating the environment is not enough because the airflow cannot remove all the particles produced,” he adds. If you have any of these symptoms, be sure to consult a professional.
Regarding the most common and preventable diseases, Azcona clarified that they are COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which is characterized by progressive restriction of air entry into the lungs and pneumonia.
“The main risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is smokes” said the professional, while clarifying that “early detection and treatment can help improve patients’ quality of life. ” People exposed to air pollution are those most at risk.
Pneumonia, on the other hand, is the leading cause of infectious death among children worldwide. Prevention is crucial because any severe lower respiratory tract infection can affect lung development.
Finally, professionals emphasized that Vaccines are essential to prevent bacterial and viral pneumonia, reducing illness, death and national health care spending. By 2030, universal coverage with PCV (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine) could prevent the deaths of 1.6 million children under 5 years of age.