SHARES
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is gradually becoming a global health crisis. Singularly, smoking is the leading cause of COPD.
Understanding Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory lung disease. To begin with, the inflammation causes obstruction of airways. As a result, symptoms include persistent coughing, wheezing, difficulty in breathing. It commonly happens in people over the age of 40 who have a history of smoking. Additionally, other risk factors include exposure to air pollutants and dust.
COPD and Difficulty Breathing
When you breathe in, the oxygenated air travels down your airway, and into small tubes in your lung, known as bronchial tubes. The bronchial tubes further branch into tinier tubes, bronchioles, and eventually into small round air sacs, alveoli. Blood capillaries cover the surface of these alveoli. Oxygen travels through the blood capillaries and into the bloodstream while carbon dioxide travel into alveoli and is breathed out. This is what we called gas exchange. Normally when you breathe in, your airways and air sac inflate like a balloon. When you breathe out, the airway and air sacs deflate. This mechanism is possible due to the elasticity of the airway and air sacs.
However, in COPD, lesser air enter and leave the lung. This is caused by the reduced elasticity of the airway and air sacs. The walls between the air sacs are destroyed, the wall of the airways thicken and swell, overproduction of mucus block the airways.
These symptoms are presented in emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which are the common conditions of COPD.
Emphysema occurs when the alveoli break down, creating larger air sacs instead of many smaller ones, as a result of exposure to cigarettes smoke and other irritants.
Chronic bronchitis is the inflammation and over production of the mucus in the bronchial lining.
COPD infection worsening
Smoking and COPD Connection
Smoking is the main culprit of COPD. This includes smoke from cigarette, cigar, pipe and second hand tobacco. Smoke travel down your airway into the bronchus, bronchioles, and eventually into the alveoli. They contain high concentrations of oxidants which induce inflammation, damaging the lung. Less air is breathed in and out due to the stiffening of the air sacs, thickening of the airway walls, deterioration of the walls between sacs, overproduction of mucus blocking the airway.
Smoking Cessation most Effective to treat COPD
Smoking cessation is the single most effective treatment of COPD. However, the ugly truth is that there is no reversal of lung damage even if you quit smoking. In fact, the inflammation is ongoing despite abstinence from cigarette smoking. This persistent inflammation may be related to the repair of the lung damage caused by smoking. Having said so, the rate of disease progression does declines significantly when you stop smoking. Furthermore, smoking cessation reduces the risk of developing stroke, coronary heart disease, and increases life expectancy.
How to quit smoking?
Quitting smoking is the most effective way to protect your lung from COPD. There are several ways to do it:
- First, seek for counselling and join a support group for smoking cessation
- Use drugs like nicotine replacement therapy, varenicline, Bupropion
- Avoid secondhand smoke eg opt for a smoke free restaurant, avoid public places that allow smoking
Conclusion
COPD has a clear cause and prevention, unlike some other diseases. Smoking cessation plays a vital role in reducing the development of COPD. Therefore you sho take more efforts need to be taken to avoid or quit smoking.
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References
1. Rafael L. Smoking and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Parallel epidemics of the 21st century. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2009 Jan;6(1):209-224.
2. Brenda R, Erica C. The smoking and COPD connection [Healthline]. Healthline Media. 2019. [Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/copd/smoking#1; last updated on 2016 Feb 22; last accessed on 2019 Oct 25]
by Chang Xian
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