COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease, is a group of pulmonary diseases that make breathing difficult, getting worse over time. Its main characteristics are permanently inflamed and narrowed airways, due to the presence of two respiratory diseases: chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
It is furthermore one of the main diseases in terms of morbidity and mortality, with more than 600 million affected people across the world. It is the third cause of death in Europe, and increasing, mainly due to the increase in tobacco use of the last three decades.
The people most at risk of suffering from COPD are active and passive smokers. It is more common among those older than 40.
What are the main causes and symptoms of COPD?
COPD mainly develops after a long-term exposure to irritants that damage the lungs and airways. Its main cause is active or passive tobacco use. The lungs and bronchi are the areas that most suffer from nicotine consumption and the constant exposure to cigarette smoke.
But there are other gaseous agents that are potentially dangerous for the respiratory system and that can contribute to the development of this disease: smoke generated by industrial enterprises, chemical laboratories, mining activities, wood and coal stoves, among others.
In a person suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), less air flows in and out of the airways. The obstruction of the airways is the results of changes of the bronchi (the branching network of tubes of the respiratory system) as well as the the pulmonary tissue (lung parenchyma) as both have been damaged. )
Both chronic bronchitis and emphysema contribute to the symptoms and the limitation of the respiratory flow.
In case of COPD, the bronchioles suffer damages and the gas interchange is restricted. Several processes cause airways to narrow and parts of the lungs can get destroyed, airways get blocked because of the secretions and the inflammation of the epithelium of the respiratory ways.
What are the symptoms of COPD?
Due to the narrowing of the airways, both the absorption of oxygen and the liberation of carbon dioxide become gradually more complicated.
At the beginning of the treatment, the symptoms are mild. But as the diseases progresses, the COPD symptoms worsen, making it difficult to carry out the daily activities. The symptoms include:
- Lack of air or dyspnea.
- Chronic cough, expectoration.
- No resistance during exercise.
- Reduction of the muscle mass and bone density.
- Anxiety and depression.
- Oedema or fluid retention in the legs.
- Feeling of tightness in the chest.
How can we treat COPD?
COPD cannot be cured, but its early diagnosis and treatment are important to slow down the worsening of the symptoms and to reduce the risk of exacerbations, improving the patient’s capacity to keep active.
We can furthermore control the disease with other measures such as changes in life style: giving up on smoking and taking up regular exercise.
Depending on the stage of the disease, pharmacological treatment can be an option, with medication such as bronchodilators that can help reduce the symptoms and prevent exacerbations.
Physiotherapy can also help these patients, preventing muscular degeneration and loss of resistance. Physiotherapy techniques enable the improvement of respiratory functions and therefore of the patient’s quality of life as well.
With Capenergy’s C500 Respiratory second generation radiofrequency device, you will be able to:
- Improve microcirculation, thanks to the significant arterial vasodilation.
- Obtain a positive response in cellular and immunological actions.
- Improve the ionic interchange through the cell membranes.
- Booster effect of radiofrequency when combined with classic pharmacological treatment.
- Give the patient a pleasant treatment without side effects.
- Technique with anti-inflammatory effect that improves the patients’ pulmonary function.
Would you like to know more about Capenergy’s tecar therapy and how it can help you in the treatment of COPD? Request a free demo!
