India has become COPD capital of world: Doc

The severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the country can be gauged by the fact that India has maximum cases of COPD in the world and ranks

The severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the country can be gauged by the fact that India has maximum cases of COPD in the world and ranks second when it comes to deaths caused by COPD, said Dr SN Gupta, consultant physician, pulmonary critical care and sleep medicine.

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India, with 35 million cases, has become the COPD capital of the world, while Uttar Pradesh shares 20% of India’s burden.

“Out of 15 lakh deaths due to COPD across the world, five lakh happen in India alone,” he said addressing a press conference on Friday.

He said COPD was causing more deaths than AIDS, TB, malaria and diabetes put together, but it remains highly neglected in the country.

Delayed COPD diagnosis and poor COPD management was worsening the situation and leading patients to a condition referred to as ‘lung attack’.

“Diagnosis of lung attack is often based on the degree of worsening signs of COPD such as oxygen levels being lower than normal. Identifying the signs and symptoms of lung attack and getting timely help from physician is the best way to prevent further worsening of disease progression,” said Gupta.