Online CPR Certification Blog

Effects of smoking includes the risk of having COPD

One of the many adverse effects of smoking includes the risk of having COPD and emphysema or the so called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The two kinds of COPD re emphysema and chronic bronchitis and persons with emphysema are highly likely to be having alveoli or air sacs in the damaged lungs. This means that the body is not able to get the needed oxygen for proper functioning. In most cases, diseases related to COPD are usually the result of cigarette smoking and for continuous smokers, the symptoms start manifesting themselves while in their mid- fifties.

Fighting the right treatment for emphysema

It is not possible to cure COPD and emphysema but with the right treatment, emphysema prognosis can be improved and also your overall well being and health. The steps that need to be taken are:

• Getting a diagnosis: in case you are not sure that you are having COPD and emphysema, it is essential that you star with getting a diagnosis. This is the only way that the doctor can be able to assist you. In case you feel that you or someone else aged above 35 years could having such symptoms, a short 5 question screener can assist in determining if the person has COPD or not.
• Start emphysema treatment- treatment for emphysema should be handled by your doctor. Once the condition has been diagnosed, it is important that treatment is sought immediately because COPD is essentially a progressive disease. This can mean frequent admissions to the hospital, a degraded quality of life, need for having supplemental oxygen or wearing a ventilator assistance device at night for maintaining effective breathing as you sleep. The symptoms can be lessened by quitting smoking and using inhalers, which also delays the disease from progressing while also enabling the patient to lead an active lifestyle.
• Stop smoking- to prevent the symptoms of emphysema from progressing and to have a better chance of surviving, the most important step is to stop smoking. Quitting smoking usually reduce lung damage and inflammation, which can worsen emphysema and COPD.
• Avoid other irritants- there are many irritants that can worsen COPD and emphysema besides tobacco smoke. While most COPD in the country is actually related to smoking, just 20% of smokers actually develop significant cases of COPD. This implies that other environmental or genetic factors could also play a role as well. Some of the potential irritants may include poor air quality or cold air in your area.
• Get immunized- immunization is very important when it comes to avoiding the complications associated to COP and emphysema, especially pneumonia and flu immunizations.
• Do right exercises: participate in regular cardiovascular exercises and breathing exercises such as walking and this will help better your chances of surviving and curbing the symptoms as well.