Top 5 factors that affect your lungs

Lung diseases are one of the most common medical conditions experienced by people worldwide. The number of people requiring lung transplantation in India is on the rise, so preventing the causes can reduce the risk of lung diseases.

Causes of lung diseases

Smoking

•  This is the predominant cause of lung diseases in people. Smoking a cigarette reduces about 4 minutes of your lifetime approximately.

•  The chance of your lungs getting affected due to smoking is 100%. Even if the person quits smoking, the accumulated damage will be manifested in the later stage of their life. Thus it is vital to quit smoking as soon as possible to avoid further damage to the lungs.

•  Some lung diseases that arise due to smoking are bronchitis, chronic pulmonary disease, and an increased risk of lung cancer.

•  Other than lungs, body parts like the heart, brain, urinary tract, and urinary bladder are also affected due to smoking.

•   If you are a smoker, there is no better day than today to stop smoking. 

Passive smoking

• The second most common cause of lung diseases is passive smoking. Passive smoking is inhaling the smoke while staying near the person who smokes.

•  Mainstream smoke is the person who smokes intakes while sidestream smoke is what he lets out. Most times, sidestream smoke is more harmful than the mainstream one causing danger to the people around the smoker.

•  Passive smokers are prone to almost all problems that smokers are prone to, like COPD and lung cancer.

 Also Read: What Happens Before a Lung Transplantation?

Kauvery Hospital

Other causes of lung damage include air pollution, inhaling chemicals like asbestos, exposure to pets, and exposure to pigeons. While we know about smoking, these are some causes that most people ignore. To know more about it, watch this video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C2WwKtnov8.

Lung transplantation in Chennai | Lung transplantation in India

Tips to Keep Your Lungs Healthy

The global pandemic has made us pause our fast lifestyle and think about our health. We know that the Covid virus predominantly affects our lungs and the increasing pollution is definitely not helping. Learn what Dr Srinivas Rajagopalan, Senior Pulmonologist, Kauvery Hospital has to say about lung health.

What are some of the tips to keep our lungs healthy?

•        Avoid smoking. Smoking is one of the factors that damage the lungs. Even if you do not smoke, you should avoid exposure while others smoke. Exposure to smoke can also affect our lungs and this is called passive smoking.

•        Avoid smoking especially while you are near children. The lung capacity in children is less and it only reaches the peak capacity in the second decade of their lives. When exposed to smoking, the lung capacity of the children might not reach the peak level and cause problems in the future.

•       Exposure to dust particles can also cause damage to the lungs. Biomass fuel is one factor that has been causing lung damage especially in people living in rural areas. It is important to avoid wool fuel stoves and kerosene stoves, especially in a poorly ventilated place. The particulate matter when entering our body can cause damage to our lungs with time.

•       Poor air quality can affect the lungs. Monitor the air quality index and while it is above the permissible level, avoid going out or wearing a mask.

•       Adequate cardiopulmonary exercise can maintain the health of the lungs. If you are over the age of 40, brisk walking is recommended and people lesser than 40 years can choose jogging.

Also Read: What Happens Before a Lung Transplantation?

Kauvery Hospital

Usually, it is possible to treat lung complications but when it is severe beyond treatment, a lung transplant is recommended. At Kauvery Hospital, we are equipped to provide our patients with the immediate care and treatment that is needed.

 

Lung transplantation in Chennai | Lung transplantation in India