Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Epidemiology Report

This report provides a comprehensive overview of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a common and treatable disease affecting both men and women worldwide. The report begins with an introduction to COPD, differentiating it from similar conditions like emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and highlighting the shared symptoms with asthma. It then delves into the effects of COPD on human health, detailing how it damages the airways, leading to breathing difficulties and various symptoms such as tiredness and chronic cough. The consequences of COPD, including limitations in daily activities, financial strain, and potential co-morbidities like heart disease and depression, are also discussed. The report explores the causes of COPD, including exposure to tobacco, air pollution, and early life events, distinguishing between modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. It emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, detailing preventive measures such as smoking cessation, healthy lifestyle choices, and vaccinations. The report also outlines different types of inhaled medications and other treatments, including antibiotics and corticosteroids. Finally, it describes the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention levels and the control measures taken to manage COPD, including the WHO's interventions and the role of organizations like the Global Alliance against COPD (GARD).

12/29/2021
Chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease
(COPD)
Epidemiology
Tanzeelah Rehman
1748146

INTRODUCTION:
COPD is a disease which is common and treatable targeting the nation worldwide. Both the men
and women get effected by it.
COPD is also referred as “emphysema” or “chronic bronchitis” showing the similar symptoms as
in the both diseases. In emphysema devastation of the air sacs is done at the end of the airways in
the lungs whereas in chronic bronchitis there is a cough which causes the production of phlegm
due to the inflammation in the airways. Both of the diseases are somewhat similar to the COPD.
Asthma do share common symptoms with COPD like coughing, wheezing and difficulty in
breathing.
EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH:
It causes damage to the airways of the lungs leading to the disturbance in the inhalation and
exhalation of the lungs. The airways become narrower due to several reasons. It could be the ruin
of the certain parts of lungs, mucus could be seen blocking the airways, swelling and soreness
can happen in the airways as well.
SYMPTOMS OF CHRNIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE:
Some of the symptoms that COPD shows are:
 Tiredness
 Shortage of breath or difficulty in breathing
 Production of phlegm with the chronic cough.
CONSEQUENCES OF COPD:
As the COPD becomes severe, it gets difficult for the people to perform their daily activities due
to the shortness of breath which could lead to certain problems could be financially as it limits
the person to do work, at home where he could be not enough energetic to take care of several
things or the cost of treatment which he would not be able to afford because of this weakness.
Other medical conditions such as osteoporosis, heart disease, musculoskeletal disorders, lung
cancer, depression and anxiety a COPD sufferer may have.
CHRONIC OBSTRCUTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE AND ITS CAUSES:
COPD is a disease which takes time to develop which results in the combination of risk factors.
 Exposure to tobacco from an active or passive smoking.
 Dust, fumes or chemicals exposure occupationally.
 Air pollution which is in door like the burning of the wood, crop residue or animal dung
commonly known as biomass fuel. Coal too which is essentially used for various
purposes such as cooking, heating in numerous areas producing lots of smoke exposure.

 Problems in early life events; no proper growth in utero, prematurity or the infection of
lungs that is caused in childhood which causes the disturbance in the growth of lungs or
often leads to Asthma.
 At a young age there is a rare gene condition “alpha-1 antitrypsin which can cause
COPD.
MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS:
 Tobacco smoking.
 Exposure to dust, fumes or chemicals.
 Air pollution (in door and our door both)
NON-MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS:
 Immature growth of the lungs, prematurity, early childhood lung disease.
 A rare gene condition production named as “alpha-1 antitrypsin”
PRVENTIONS FOR THE CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY
DISEASE:
Early diagnosis and treatment of this disease can stop from the severe results of it, slowing
the production of symptoms and also reducing the risks as it does not have any proper cure to
it.
COPD can only be predicted when it shows worse symptoms to it and been diagnosed by a
test of breathing known as “spirometry” which tells how the lungs are functioning. Low and
middle areas can skip this test as it is not available there.
Several measures should be taken to improve health and overcome the risk of COPD.
 Say no to smoking; a person with COPD must stop smoking at first.
 Maintain a healthy life style, good diet and regular exercise.
 He/she must get vaccinated against influenza, pneumonia and coronavirus.
To improve the symptoms of it inhaled medication can be used, they reduced the flareups. There
are various types of inhaled medication which work in different ways and can be taken in
combination, if they are available.
INHALERS OPENING THE AIRWAYS:
Such inhalers must be given on regular basis to reduces or to prevent symptoms and to balance
the symptoms during flareups which are acute. To decrease the inflammation in the lungs inhaled
corticosteroids are given.
Inhalers must be used with correct precautions and preventions or a space device can be used for
the medication to work in a more efficient way. Such inhalers have lesser availability.

For the treatment of flareups which are often caused by respiratory infection, antibiotic or steroid
tablets can be given to the patient of COPD. Inhaled or nebulized treatment can also be an
addition to it.
To keep the COPD patient healthy and improved they must know about their disease, its
preventions, causes and treatment to take the better care.
There are 3 different levels of preventions. For COPD;
 PRIMARY PREVENTION:
o Quitting tobacco smoke, less exposure to it directly or indirectly.
o Maintaining healthy life style, good diet and regular exercise.
o Less exposure to air pollutants such as chemicals and fumes.
o Patient should be addressed with the risk factors such as low birth weight,
prematurity, unhealthy diet and other occupational ones can lead to
enhancement of COPD.
 SECONDARY PREVENTION:
o Early detection of COPD to smoking cessation.
o Pulmonary rehabilitation.
o Reduction to toxic particles which enhance the risk of COPD.
o Better life style, increasing physical activity.
o Healthy diet.
 TERTIARY PREVENTION:
o Getting vaccinated from the influenza, pneumonia and corona virus.
o Using of antibiotics.
o Antitussives.
o Mucolytic agents.
o Corticosteroids.
o Lung transplant etc.
CONTROL OF CHRONIC OBSTURCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE:
Numerous prevention measures are being taken to diagnose and cure the disease.
o To improve the management in primary health services where there are low resources the
WHO Package of essential Noncommunicable disease interventions included the
procedure for the valuation, diagnosis and treatment of the chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease including asthma. In addition to the modules on better lifestyle, promoting the
tobacco detection and self-care.
o Rehabilitation services in health systems to be utilized for the better control and
treatment.
o Reduction of the exposure to tobacco smoke which is important and the very first thing to
be restrained.

o Promotions of the clean and safe environment in the home and the facilitation of certain
devices which are used for a clearer household energy at local, programmatic and
national level.
o The Global Alliance against COPD (GARD) helps for the prevention and controlling
chronic pulmonary diseases, it is a national and international voluntary alliance with the
vision of “breath freely world”.
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