Coughing and shortness of breath when the weather gets cold? This disease is easily ignored

"Doctor, please help. My wife was fine just now, but suddenly she feels a little chest tightness and shortness of breath. Even breathing is difficult." Recently, 68-year-old Uncle Wang (pseudonym) was urgently sent by his family to Chao News·Qianbao Health Station and Dinglan Street Community Health Service Center in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou.

After receiving the patient, general practitioner Shen Lulei conducted a preliminary examination on Uncle Wang, and ruled out related heart problems through electrocardiogram, cardiac ultrasound, and screening for myocardial damage markers in the blood. Overall, there was nothing serious.

So what happened to Uncle Wang? To find out, Dr. Shen Lulei had an in-depth discussion with Uncle Wang’s family and learned that this was not the first time he had “fallen ill”.

This situation has been going on for several years. At first, the family thought that Uncle Wang just had a cold and didn't take it seriously. But as Uncle Wang's shortness of breath and wheezing became more and more frequent, the family found that whenever the weather got cold, it was like there was a "computer case" in his throat, and it was uncomfortable to listen to.

Image provided by Dinglan Subdistrict Community Health Service Center

It is reported that Uncle Wang is quite controlled in his eating and drinking habits, but he loves smoking. He has been smoking for 40 years and can finish a pack of cigarettes in two days.

Therefore, Dr. Shen Lulei immediately performed a lung function assessment for Uncle Wang and recommended that he go to a higher-level hospital for a comprehensive lung CT scan. The results showed that he had emphysema and bullae, as well as "obstructive ventilation dysfunction." He was ultimately diagnosed with "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease."

"Fortunately, there is no infection problem at present, but you must quit smoking. If you continue to do so, it may be complicated by infection and lead to severe inflammation, with disastrous consequences." Doctor Shen Lulei repeatedly reminded Uncle Wang that this is not only for yourself, but also to provide more health protection for your family.

The World Health Organization has designated the Wednesday of the third week of November each year as World COPD Day. The theme of this year's event is "Know Your Lung Function."

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a relatively common chronic airway disease characterized by persistent airflow limitation and respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea, cough, and sputum.

Relevant data show that the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among residents aged 40 and above in my country is as high as 13.6%, and the number of patients is nearly 100 million. However, the awareness rate of the disease is 0.9%, and the lung function examination rate is 4.5%. Early detection and early treatment are still the top priorities of prevention and treatment.

Smoking is one of the main causes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and it is also related to factors such as air pollution and occupational exposure.

Doctors especially remind that people with a history of smoking or secondhand smoke exposure, those with repeated respiratory infections in childhood, or those who are often in an environment with biofuels or air pollution are all at high risk of COPD. Pulmonary function tests are an important means of diagnosing chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, and people over 40 years old and high-risk groups are urged to undergo a pulmonary function test once a year.

In terms of life, patients need long-term standardized treatment and must not stop taking medication at will based on their own feelings. Patients who have the conditions can equip their homes with a pulse oximeter, oxygen concentrator or ventilator. When related symptoms are significantly worse than before, please seek medical attention in time.