VOLUME 6 • ISSUE 9 • SEPTEMBER 2012
A SLICE OF ORANGE Refreshing Your Health
BREATHE EASY, FIGHT COPD • The two faces of COPD • Could you have COPD? • Coping with COPD • The truth about e-cigarettes
Breathe easy, fight COPD HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU FIND YOURSELF FIGHTING FOR YOUR BREATH, EVERY SECOND OF YOUR LIFE? THAT IS HOW COPD FEELS LIKE. WHAT DO YOU DO TO BREAK FREE FROM THIS BREATHLESS FATE? The memory of the King of Comedy is just fresh in our minds. But as we remember
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him in awe and respect, we also need to learn from the lessons of the past. As you know, the King died from COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. What is this dreadful disease?
A SLICE OF ORANGE
The two faces of COPD
VOLUME 6 • ISSUE 9 • SEPTEMBER 2012
sputum on most days for 3 months of a
The cough and breathlessness of COPD can
OPD is called such because it is a
year, for 2 consecutive years. In this form,
be confused with asthma. The main differ-
lung disease that usually worsens
the mucous-secreting cells of the airways en-
ence is that the breathlessness of asthma is
over the span of years (chronic),
large and become hyperactive, causing the
reversible, while that of COPD progressively
and is characterized by progressive narrow-
patient to cough out a lot of sputum. The
worsens.
ing of the airways, leading to obstruction
sputum can plug the airways, worsening the
of the flow of air in and out of the lungs.
obstruction. The airways also become in-
Also like patients with asthma, a COPD pa-
This causes breathlessness and a number of
flamed, leading to thickened walls that lead
tient can have an attack. This is when there
other symptoms.
to narrowing of the airways.
is a sudden worsening of the COPD symp-
C
toms: increased breathlessness, worsening In many cases, a patient can have both em-
of cough or sputum production, changing of
physema and chronic bronchitis.
the sputum color. An attack can last for several days. It is usually caused by a cold, flu,
One important characteristic of COPD is that
a sore throat, an ear infection, pneumonia,
it is progressive. It usually starts as a cough
or other infections of the respiratory track.
that does not go away for months. And then, you start feeling breathless. This breathless-
Could you have COPD?
ness gradually worsens over the years, until
Answer these questions to know if you could
it makes daily activities difficult to do. Eventu-
have COPD:
ally, the lungs fail, leading to many compli-
• Do you have a cough lasting over
cations, including death.
two months? • Do you have breathlessness or wheezing
COPD takes on two different forms. The first
lasting over two months?
form is emphysema. This is when the obstruc-
• Do you smoke cigarettes?
tion of the airways is coupled by destruction of the air sacs. Because of this, the surface
If you answer “yes” to any of these questions,
area where oxygen and carbon dioxide is
see your doctor so that he/she can screen
exchanged is decreased. The lung is also
you for the disease. Screening includes a
more prone to collapse, contributing to the
physical examination, a chest x-ray, and a
obstruction and breathlessness.
test called spirometry. In this test, you will be asked to repeatedly breathe through an
The second form is chronic bronchitis. This
apparatus that measures how well air goes
condition is characterized by cough with
in and out of your lungs.
The truth about e-cigarettes
For people with strong nicotine addiction,
E-cigarettes are becoming more popular, es-
nicotine-less e-cigarettes may not be enough,
pecially for people who want to be healthier.
and will generally crave nicotine. When
E-cigarettes are devices that simulate the act
such people smoke nicotine-containing e-
of tobacco smoking by producing a vapor
cigarettes, they are generally exposed to less
that can be inhaled. The vapor may or may
health risks. However, e-cigarettes do not help
not contain nicotine, the addictive chemical
the patient break free from their nicotine ad-
in cigarettes.
diction. The problem starts when the patient faces financial constraints and can no longer
E-cigarettes without nicotine may help those
buy e-cigarettes, which are generally more
E-cigarette users should be aware of this
who do not have a strong nicotine addiction,
expensive than regular cigarettes. When this
fact—that e-cigarettes do not perform mira-
and only require the act of smoking to calm
happens, the patient turns back to regular
cles—lest they expect too much from these
their nerves, even in the absence of nicotine.
cigarettes.
novel devices.
A SLICE OF ORANGE
VOLUME 6 • ISSUE 9 • SEPTEMBER 2012
The third question here is crucial because
The next step is to avoid air pollution and
Overweight patients need to lose weight;
smoking is the primary cause of COPD. Up
the inhalation of dust. The use of a fine face
this will help relieve some of the breathless-
to 90% of all COPD is caused by cigarette
mask helps a lot.
ness. Underweight patients need to gain
smoking. Almost all lifelong smokers will de-
weight; this will help strengthen the body
velop COPD, if heart disease, diabetes, or
that is already under burden from shortness
cancer doesn’t get to them first.
of breath.
Other causes of COPD include:
Almost all patients with COPD would ben-
• Intense and prolonged exposure to
efit from pulmonary rehabilitation. This is a
workplace dusts. Those at risk are miners
program of specific exercises and counsel-
and factory workers, even those who do
ing that are specifically designed to help the
not smoke.
patient cope with the disabilities that come
• Air pollution, which makes most people
with the disease.
living in cities at risk. • Genetic diseases such as alpha
Lastly, a COPD attack should be prevented
1-antitrypsin deficiency.
or treated. Keep your immunity strong to prevent getting sick with respiratory infections.
Coping with COPD
Eat healthy; get plenty of sleep; exercise
The most essential part of the fight against
Many medications can be given to dilate
regularly but moderately; wash your hands
COPD is the stopping of cigarette smoking.
the airways and relieve some of the obstruc-
often. Most importantly, consult a physician
First of all, it prevents you from getting COPD
tion. However, all these medications require
about the option of flu vaccinations. In the
in the first place. Secondly, it slows down
a doctor’s prescription and supervision.
event of a COPD attack, visit a doctor for
the worsening of the disease. In fact, it is
treatment of the breathlessness and the un-
the only known measure to date that has
For those whose disease has worsened
derlying infection or other causes.
been proven to slow down COPD worsen-
to the point that the level of oxygen in the
ing. Lastly, it also lessens the occurrence of
blood falls, continuous oxygen inhalation
With these measures, you should be able to
COPD attacks.
is helpful.
breathe easy.
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A Slice of Orange
is a newsletter designed to help clarify basic health information and offer juicy tips on uplifting your health.
Editorial team Alvin Delfin Christine Llenes-Delfin Ivan Olegario, MD