Is out of breath due to decreased lung function after diagnosis? 3 Symptoms Beware of "Fatal" Pulmonary Obstruction Signs
Is out of breath due to decreased lung function? 3 Symptoms Beware of Fatal Pulmonary Obstruction
After being diagnosed, I was always out of breath. Many people were worried that their lung function had declined or they had sequelae of COVID-19. However, once the symptoms of “cough, phlegm, and wheezing” occur continuously for more than three weeks and you have a long-term smoking history, you should pay more attention to the warning that “pulmonary obstruction” (COPD) is getting worse!
In fact, pulmonary obstruction is not only the third leading cause of death in the world, but has also been among the top ten causes of death in Taiwan for many years. When “cough, phlegm, and wheezing” last for more than three weeks, you should go to a thoracic medicine department for medical treatment as soon as possible. High-risk groups are recommended to have regular appointments every year. Get a pulmonary function test. Many celebrities who passed away due to pulmonary obstruction, such as Sun Yue, had a history of smoking. However, the latest survey shows that less than 10% of people regularly test lung function.
People who had COVID-19 for too long were found to have pulmonary obstruction and the mortality rate after discharge was as high as 22%
Wang Hejian, chairman of the Taiwan Society of Thoracic and Intensive Care Medicine, pointed out that pulmonary obstruction is more likely to occur in people over 40 years old, and a high proportion of it is caused by smoking. According to data from the National Health Insurance Database, the hospitalization mortality rate for patients with acute exacerbation of pulmonary obstruction is 4%. Especially for patients who are older and have more comorbidities, the hospitalization mortality rate is higher. In addition, the mortality rate of patients with pulmonary obstruction is as high as 22% one year after discharge.
Dr. Wang Hejian reminded that pulmonary obstruction symptoms can easily be mistaken for “old symptoms”, and patients may easily ignore them or think that they are just caused by “aging” or “growing COVID-19”. Recently, there have been many cases where symptoms persisted for too long or worsened after recovering from COVID-19 diagnosis, and pulmonary obstruction was unexpectedly discovered after seeking medical treatment at a thoracic medicine department. This year, the “Love Lung Function Health Education Vehicle” went into the community and targeted high-risk groups with symptoms for testing. It found nearly a hundred potential patients with pulmonary obstruction, which shows that a high proportion of people still do not pay attention to the invisible threat of pulmonary obstruction.
Pulmonary obstruction was not treated properly and regularly. He was intubated twice in a short period of time: I was really scared.
Dr. Su Maochang pointed out that this year’s “Lung Health Concept” survey of people over the age of 40 found that less than 10% (5.8) have their lung function checked regularly, and more than 50% (52.9) have never had their lung function tested. The most common reasons are that the symptoms are not serious and do not affect daily life, and that smoking will inherently cause symptoms of cough, phlegm, and wheezing.
Dr. Su Maochang gave an example. In the past, he treated a patient with a history of asthma. He smoked up to 40 packs/year. He was so breathless at home that he could not breathe. After being diagnosed with pulmonary obstruction, he did not cooperate with the doctor regularly. He died in a short period of time due to severe pulmonary obstruction. He was intubated twice in a short period of time, and when his condition worsened, he needed to rely on a respirator. He said, “Pulmonary obstruction is really scary.” He was finally willing to quit smoking seriously and receive regular treatment and exercise.
“Most people have a low regard for the lungs and ignore it, especially those with a history of smoking. Even if they are at high risk of pulmonary obstruction on a daily basis, they are still not alert enough to pulmonary symptoms. When pulmonary obstruction is diagnosed, the lungs are often The function has been severely damaged. If detected early, there is still a chance that the lung function will not be irreversible!”
Early diagnosis is the key to slowing down lung obstruction. People can take a one-minute self-test
Chairman Wang Hejian emphasized that early diagnosis and early treatment are the key to slowing down the worsening of pulmonary obstruction. In the post-epidemic era, Taiwanese people have become more concerned about lung health. For the first time this year, November has been designated as “pulmonary function testing” every year. Month" encourages high-risk groups to track lung function annually.
In addition, the general public can also use the “One-minute Step Climb” that the Society has been promoting for many years to do self-tests at home. If they cannot climb 30 steps in one minute, it is recommended to go to the Department of Chest Medicine and other related departments for further examination as soon as possible.
Director of the National Health Service Wu Zhaojun said that more than half of the top ten causes of death in Taiwan are chronic diseases, which are mostly related to personal living habits and health behaviors. Smoking is the most representative health risk factor. In addition to possible damage to the trachea, lung tissue, and pulmonary blood vessels, Pathological changes not only increase the risk of suffering from pulmonary obstruction, but may also accelerate the worsening of pulmonary obstruction. Smoking cessation is an important key to slowing down the worsening of pulmonary obstruction and can reduce mortality by 50%. We call on the public to stay away from the harm of smoking in order to protect lung health.
Further reading:
