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The National Academy of Pharmacy warns of the underdiagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A disease which the institution recalls that it is “chronic and fatal”. About 3 million French people would be affected.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, commonly known as COPD, is a chronic respiratory disease that kills some 18,000 people each year in France. Between 5 and 10% of people over 45 suffer from it, which represents 2.5 to 3 million French people, whose quality of life is greatly impaired.
However, this serious disease is under-diagnosed, deplores the National Academy of Pharmacy, which devoted a session on June 1 to this growing pathology.
A silent disease
A common disease, COPD causes inflammation of the airways – especially the bronchi – and causes the thickening of their walls, as well as a reactive hypersecretion of mucus. In about 80% of cases, the disease is due to smoking.
Other risk factors that should not be overlooked: air pollution, occupational exposure, passive exposure to cigarette smoke and genetic factors.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease evolves silently, hence its dangerousness: its symptoms are often little detected. Among them are:
- A cough ;
- Chronic bronchitis;
- Progressive dyspnea.
This progression of the disease may be accompanied by episodes of worsening cough, sputum (action by which secretions accumulated in the airways are expelled) and shortness of breath, which may lead to hospitalization. This is why early diagnosis is vital.
“The disease is often under-diagnosed, the pathology evolving all the more if smoking continues”alert Claire Andrejak, pulmonologist at the Amiens University Hospital and general secretary of the scientific council of the French-speaking Pneumology Society (SPLF), in the columns of the daily The world.
Lung damage (appearance of holes in the lungs) is also common.
COPD: what treatments
The disease cannot be cured, but managing it slows its progression and may even reverse some symptoms. This includes:
- Smoking cessation;
- Medication ;
- Respiratory rehabilitation (a set of treatments that restore overall well-being);
- Physical exercise.
Once the diagnosis has been made, the first measure to put in place, in the event of proven smoking, is to completely stop smoking. Stopping exposure to disease-promoting substances is also necessary.
The drugs used – bronchodilators – allow, for their part, to dilate the airways and improve air flow. Depending on the case, these treatments can be combined with corticosteroids. Respiratory rehabilitation may also be necessary, hence the importance of getting back to exercise, both to regain breath and to fight against comorbidities (loss of muscle mass, cardiovascular problems, overweight, etc.).
If the stage of the disease is advanced, with chronic respiratory failure, oxygen therapy is necessary.