Bhubaneswar, Nov 19: While avoiding junk food, cigarettes, and liquor is crucial for personal health, environmental pollution can still significantly impact well-being in ways that are often beyond individual control. Yes, the most pervasive form of pollution, air pollution, can be inhaled deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, affecting nearly every organ in the body.

There is considerable epidemiological evidence indicating that air pollution has adverse effects on human health and is closely related to respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

COPD, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a lung condition caused by damage to the lungs. It is a group of lung diseases that make it hard to breathe and get worse over time.

To raise awareness of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), amongst the public around the world, every year we celebrate World COPD Day on the third Wednesday of November for the past 23 years since 2002.

The biggest misconception about COPD is that it only affects older smokers, but it can also impact non-smokers and younger individuals due to factors like air pollution, genetics, and occupational exposure.

Now it is no longer an illness confined to smokers or older adults, as long-term exposure to air with a high concentration of pollutants may also increase the incidence of COPD.

Early signs of COPD that should not be ignored include a persistent cough, shortness of breath during simple activities, and excessive mucus production.
COPD symptoms often don't appear until a lot of lung damage has occurred.
Some symptoms that we usually ignore are:

⦁ Feeling tired.
⦁ Loosing weight
⦁ Shortened breath, trouble catching breath
⦁ Wheezing or whistling sounds when breathing.
⦁ Chest heaviness
⦁ Frequent lung infections
⦁ Excessive mucus production
⦁ Swelling in ankles, feet or legs.

Diet, sleep, and stress levels are important factors that significantly affect lung health, so with a proper sleep schedule, a proper and healthy diet, and a pollution-free environment ensures a healthy lifestyle.

This story is compiled by Krishna P Hota.