Since there is no known cure for the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the COPD treatment in fact aims to stop the obstruction process, to slow down the evolution of the disease and to fight the symptoms.
The disease was initially named emphysema or chronic bronchitis. William Briscoe was the one to use the term “COPD” for the first time, in 1965.
In time, studies have shown that, besides medication, the patient’s lifestyle and eating habits are just as important in controlling the disease.
Since smoking is very harmful for the entire body and especially for the lungs, the most important step in COPD treatment is for the patient to quit smoking. In cases of addiction, patients who have a hard time quitting can appeal to counseling, medication, or join smoking addiction therapy groups.
The living and working conditions are just as important. Patients should live and work in properly aired rooms, away from dust and excessive moisture. As a result, working in mining or constructions is definitely not recommendable.
Patients should live in clean areas, away from the pollution clouds of the city industry. Rooms should be constantly aired, protected against excessive humidity and free of mildew and dust mites, otherwise the efficiency of any COPD treatment might be jeopardized.
The condition prevents the patients to inhale oxygen properly and, as a result, they experience a constant feeling of exhaustion. Therefore, increasing the oxygen level in the atmosphere would be beneficial. It can be achieved on several levels, through pot flowers, special air conditioning devices or oxygen masks. Although not very comfortable, these solutions can help improve the patients’ tonus and fight the fatigue sensation the lack of oxygen usually causes.
Aerosol therapy is a good way to relieve the spasms at the level of the lungs, by spraying a fine mist of bronchodilator particles with a nebulizer. The bronchodilators are special drugs meant to fluidize secretions and help patients cough them out. They are also efficient in relaxing the tracheal muscles and facilitating the breathing process.
The bronchodilators used in COPD treatment can be doubled by corticosteroids, but due to the side effects they produce, they should be prescribed with caution and under constant specialized supervision.
COPD is often accompanied by various types of infections, which require antimicrobial treatments. The frequent mistake patients make is to stop taking the antimicrobial drugs the minute the symptoms of the infection disappear. In such cases, the agents causing the infection survive the treatment and expand their influence, making the battle against COPD even more difficult.
Pulmonary rehabilitation, a complete and complex interdisciplinary treatment, can also make a good choice for patients diagnosed with COPD.
Unfortunately, as it involves the work of respiratory, physical and occupational therapists, of psychologists and auxiliary medical staff at the same time, this treatment can be quite expensive. It lasts from 10-20 days to 10-20 months, depending on the severity of the disease and the body’s response to the treatment, time in which the patient’s life takes less normal turnouts.
A complete COPD treatment can be quite expensive and consuming, which is why prevention is the best policy.