“It’s a Matter of Breath & Death”

COPD Day at Murshid Hospital

KARACHI – “Tobacco smoking, biomass fuels and air pollution are the reason behind increasing incidence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a disease which progressively makes the sufferer breathless.” This was said by Dr. Zafaryab Hussain, Pulmonologist, Murshid Hospital, and Head of Department Pulmonology, Baqai Medical University.

World COPD Day was commemorated at Murshid Hospital by a CME program, DR Muzaffar Chief Medical Officer welcome participants and introduced the speaker.

On the occasion of World COPD day, Dr. Zafaryab Hussain, HOD Baqai Medical University informed that air pollution is currently responsible for 125000 deaths in Pakistan every year which makes Pakistan no. 3 in the list of world COPD mortality rate by country. COPD is at present ranked the number 4 leading cause of death worldwide, and will be at number 3 by the year 2020. Worldwide 10 percent of population is suffering from it and more than three million people die from this disease.

He also informed the participants that in this disease initially there is cough, with or without sputum, shortness of breath on exercise or exertion. If not treated properly, this disease will progress and patient will become breathless even while doing routine work like dressing, or taking a bath etc. Most common investigations are usually normal, thus the best diagnostic test is Spirometry done after bronchodilators inhalation, and this test also helps to measure the progress of disease.

Regarding treatment Dr. Zafaryab said long acting bronchodilators alone or in combination with long acting anti Muscarinic agent are given by inhalers. Sometime inhaled steroids are also given. In severe attacks antibiotics and steroids oral or injectable are recommended as per severity and general condition of patient.

The session was ended with question answer session and concluding remarks by Dr. Abdul Sattar Essa Jaffer, who thanked the speaker and participants, and also presented shield to Dr. Zafaryab.