What COPD is?
• COPD or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is defined as a group of diseases of lungs which are responsible for difficult breathing.
• Two commonest diseases of lungs which are responsible for this breathing difficulty and which form chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are Bronchitis and Emphysema.
• The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease occurs in different stages i.e. mild, moderate, severe and very severe.
What are the causative factors of COPD?
• COPD occurrence is more in women than men.
• People of higher age groups especially old people are more affected by COPD.
• Individuals who belong to the genetic history of lung diseases show the high occurrence of COPD in later ages.
• Exposure to smoking directing or indirectly for the long term.
• People who are already suffering from lung diseases like asthma.
What are the sign and symptoms of COPD?
• Tightness feeling in the chest.
• Too much formation of mucus in the chest at night and expelled in the morning.
• During exertion of the body there is difficulty in breathing, lead to shortness of breath.
• The patient suffers from recurrent attacks of infection of lungs.
• Weight loss in later stages of infection.
• A long-lasting cough is present.
What are the stages of COPD?
Stage 1 (mild symptom stage)
• History of chronic cough with much mucus.
• Pulmonary function test shows more than 80% value indicates lungs are normal at this stage.
Stage 2 (moderate symptom stage)
• Breath is short during physical exertion.
• A chronic complaint of coughing with associated mucus.
• Pulmonary function test results show between 50-80%. Lungs are functioning at not normal levels.
Stage 3 (severe symptom stage)
• Shortness of breath is increased.
• Due to a decrease in intake of oxygen by blood through lungs leading to fatigue of body and reduce in physical work capacity.
• Repeated and recurrent attacks of breathless and lot of cough and mucus.
• Pulmonary functions test results in low levels i.e. 30-50%.
Stage 4 (very severe stage)
• At this stage, there is the severity of shortness of breath.
• The patient is not comfortable with performing regular routine works.
• Weight loss is increased.
• There is the occurrence of edema in extremities especially legs and arms.
• Emergency flaring up of symptoms occur at this stage and patient needs hospitalization.
• Pulmonary function test is very low levels showing the result of respiratory failure i.e. less than 30%.
How to Diagnose COPD?
• History of symptoms of the patient helps a lot in making disease picture.
• Amount of mucus coming daily help to know the severity of the disease.
• Sputum examination in cases of infection.
• X-ray chest.
• CT scan of chest helps to detect the severity of the stage of the disease.
• Pulmonary function tests
• Arterial blood gas analysis also helps a lot.
What are the complications of COPD?
• Lung cancer.
• Respiratory failure leading to death.
• Heart diseases risk increased.
• Depression is also a leading complication of COPD.
• Hypertension can occur in chronic cases.
• Pneumonia.
• Pneumothorax.
• Cor pulmonale.
• Severe weight loss in chronic cases, malnutrition.
• Osteoporosis.
What are the indicated homeopathic medicines of COPD?
• Ammoniacum gummi
• Arsenicum album
• Antimonium sulphuratum
• Sulphur
