Breathless not Helpless - raising awareness about COPD

We also spoke to Professor Elvis Irusen - Professor and Principal Specialist at Tygerberg Academic Hospital. We were talking about Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD. Last week Wednesday was the World COPD day and the theme of this year is “Breathless not Helpless.” This positive message emphasizes that effective treatments are available to help people who have been diagnosed with COPD feel better and live more active lives. In addition, it raises awareness that breathlessness is not just an inevitable part of getting older. For people who have not been diagnosed with COPD, breathlessness is a signal that they should see their doctor and ask about a spirometry test to check their lung function. People who have COPD have difficulty breathing because they develop smaller air passageways and have partially destroyed alveoli. Professor Irusen says one important thing is to stop smoking in order to prevent COPD. For more information you can visit www.copd.co.za or www.pulmonology.co.za alternatively www.againstsmoking.org