Quit Smoking Now or Face Breathlessness Later, Warn Experts on COPD Day

Hyderabad: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) — one of the most serious lung conditions linked to long-term smoking and severe pollution — is entirely preventable but irreversible once the damage occurs, experts cautioned at an awareness program held at Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar, on the occasion of International COPD Day.

Rachakonda Police Commissioner G. Sudheer Babu, who attended the event as the chief guest, urged people to quit smoking to protect their lungs.
“COPD is caused mainly by smoking and exposure to heavy pollution from chulhas, vehicles, and industries. Once the lungs are damaged, we cannot reverse it. Unlike diabetes and hypertension, COPD is a disease that results from our own choices. Avoiding cigarettes and staying away from polluted environments can prevent it entirely,” he said.

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He added that symptoms typically appear after the age of 60. “COPD is like the punishment one faces in their 60s for the mistakes made in their 20s,” he remarked.

To encourage early detection, Kamineni Hospital has announced a special diagnostic package, offering the Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) along with a pulmonologist consultation for ₹400 (regular price ₹3,000). The offer is valid until November 22.

Early Detection is Key

Senior Consultant Pulmonologist Dr. Ravinder Reddy explained that COPD often develops after decades of smoking — for example, smoking 10 cigarettes a day for 20 years or 20 cigarettes a day for 10 years.
“Even if someone quits smoking long ago, the damage may already be done, and symptoms begin to show only when immunity declines with age,” he said.

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He added that the disease also affects people exposed to smoke from traditional chulhas or prolonged air pollution. Only about 20% of smokers develop COPD, but early testing is crucial.
“While asthma can be fully cured, COPD cannot. The only reliable method to diagnose it is the Pulmonary Function Test,” he emphasised, urging smokers and people exposed to pollution to undergo screening.

Vaccination and Prevention

Doctors recommended that individuals diagnosed with COPD should take pneumonia and influenza vaccines to prevent complications, as the disease narrows the airways and makes breathing progressively difficult.

Event Participants

The event was attended by Senior Consultant Pulmonologist Dr. Shubhakar Kandi, Dr. Ravindranath, Consultant Pulmonologist Dr. D.S. Soujanya, Dr. Bharat Janapati, Medical Superintendent Dr. Anjaiah Kanusoli, and KAMSRC Principal Dr. Sudheer Babu Padgul, who also addressed the gathering.

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