Respiratory Diseases

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Don’t Let Respiratory Diseases Take Your Breath Away!

Respiratory diseases pose a great threat to the Indian economy with increasing number of patients and depleting air quality in metros. According to Global Burden of Diseases 2015, lung obstruction is the top cause of deaths in India, after heart attacks. With air quality shifting from acute to chronic in the capital and other cities, the number of patients is likely to soar in future.

Respiratory diseases are diseases that affect the organs and structures related to breathing. They can be as mild as common cold to anything that is life threatening like pneumonia, or asthma. They can lead to breathing problems and in worst cases may lead to respiratory failure. They can be classified in different ways based on the organ and tissue affected.

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Common Respiratory Diseases in India

1. Asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that is marked by airflow obstruction, sudden constriction of bronchioles, leading to episodes of shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing and coughing.

Chronic asthma can last for years and even lifelong in some patients. India is home to 10% of world asthma patients, which is estimated to 300 million.

3. Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition that affects the air sacs alveoli. It is caused by virus or bacteria and is marked by fever, productive or dry cough, mucus formation, and feeling of coldness.

Although the infection resolves within a few days to weeks, it can be life threatening in patients above 65 years of age and infants. There are over 10 million cases of pneumonia reported in India every year.

2. Chronic Bronchitis

Chronic bronchitis or inflammation of the bronchi is a type of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) characterised by poor airflow, cough production, and shortness of breath.

Tobacco smoking, air pollution are major factors for this progressive disease. It is one of the Obstructive Airway Disease (OAD) and more than 57 million people suffer from OAD in India.

4. Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (MTB) and primarily affects the lungs. The bacteria usually spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Symptoms of TB are fatigue, chills, fever, coughing, loss of appetite and loss of weight. A patient needs to go through a long course of treatment to cure TB. As per World Health Organisation (WHO) TB statistics, India has about 2.5 million incidences of tuberculosis.

Signs and Symptoms

Both genetic and environmental factors are responsible for respiratory diseases. However, the biggest risk factors are tobacco smoking and air pollution.

According to the latest WHO report released in May 2017, 10 of the most polluted cities lie in India.

The most common symptoms indicating an impaired respiratory system includes persistent cough and chest pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath (dyspnoea), mucus production and coughing up blood.

Treatment isn’t always required for those without symptoms, but for those with persistent symptoms a medium to long-term treatment is recommended.

Prevention

Most of the respiratory diseases are progressive and long term. However there are ways to stop them in their initial stages itself.

Follow these tips to keep them at bay:

Build Immune system

Eat nutrient-rich healthy food

Avoid pollution as much as possible

Grow plants as they are natural air purifiers

Wash your hands regularly and maintain hygiene

Check the immunization applicable and get the shot

Keep stress away as it can amplify the symptoms of respiratory disorder. If you are driving or spending long hours outdoors, you are exposed to air pollution. Persistent coughing or tightening of the chest should not be taken lightly. We recommend lung function tests that include spirometry, chest x-ray, sputum analysis and others for a more detailed insight.

Source: http://www.news18.com/news/india/india-has-10-of-worlds-asthma-patients-survey-1238186.html
http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/2/2/00032-2016,http://www.tbfacts.org/tb-statistics-india/
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/10-of-worlds-20-most-polluted-cities-in-india-list-inside/articleshow/52249911.cms