Chronic Lung Disease Often Mistaken Asthma

Chronic lung disease often mistaken for asthma

During this time, most people still difficult to distinguish between asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or also known as COPD.

This is according to Prof. Dr. Faisal Yoenoes SpP (K), from the Department of Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine Faculty of Medicine University of Indonesia (Faculty of medicine) is caused because the symptoms caused almost the same.

"Sometimes people confuse asthma and COPD. If asthma that typically occurs at a young age and worsened at night. If nighttime increasingly congested, more and more frequent asthma coughing it," he said during the show Socialization Public Discussion Non-Communicable Diseases, Monday, (15/08/2011) and then, in Jakarta.

While COPD is generally experienced at the age of about 45 years and no history of disease or illness in the family. The biggest risk factor for smoking and air pollution.

Early symptoms such as cough with phlegm in the morning to watch as a sign of COPD. Moreover, in people with COPD will experience shortness of breath during walking. Thus, if the person is running slower than people his age, there is the possibility of suffering from COPD.

"The symptoms, cough, shortness of breath, grew worse, so similar to asthma. During this time, people know only asthma alone. Better check your lung function obstruction what already exists or not. If you already have, then COPD," he said.

He also added, for the treatment of people with COPD are not much different with asthma. But the difference is, asthma may disappear with age, whereas COPD can not be cured completely and will continue to deteriorate with age.

Faisal added that so far no exact data on the number of COPD cases in Indonesia. In the near future, about September 2011, Faisal said, Balitbangkes Ministry of Health will conduct the survey together with the Faculty of Medicine to investigate cases of COPD.

"Then we'll know how much. The survey itself will we do for three months, hopefully at the end of the year we have a number of COPD in Indonesia," he explained.

To find out if someone is at risk of suffering from COPD or not, can be easily determined by taking into account Brinkman index. Someone said to be at risk of developing COPD if the index is above 200.

"The trick, the number of cigarettes per day multiplied by the average year. For example if the person smoking 10 cigarettes a day, then if the result is multiplied by 20 years of his 200. So when it's over, he had a risk of COPD, "he said.

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Lung Disease Threatens Big City Residents

Lung Disease Threatens Big City Residents - Besides the heart, lungs is one of the vital organs for human life. The lungs play an important role in the respiratory system. This organ exchange oxygen from air with carbon dioxide from the blood. Without lungs, you will be disturbed oxygen demand.

Not only that, there's more work the other lung. The lungs selecting and removing bad particles that enter through the respiratory tract, such as dust or chemicals from pollution.

Unfortunately, we often pay less attention lung health. In fact, lung health indicators disturbed quite easily seen. For example, difficulty breathing when walking quickly or frequently experience coughing. Smokers and people who often sleep late at night was not immune from the threat of decline in lung function.

In order for the health of our lungs to stay awake, Internal Medicine Specialist Hospital Mochtar Riady Comprehensive Cancer Centre (MRCCC) Siloam Hospitals, Jakarta, Martin Rumende advised us to check the condition of the lungs.

"So we know what happens in the lungs. Do not know-know you have been exposed to chronic diseases," said Martin.

Prepare contained breathing

Diseases that damage the health of your lungs is a disease that includes the category Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Chronic lung disease is characterized by the presence of air flow resistance in the airways that is progressive non-reversible or partially reversible.

The cause of airflow obstruction in COPD are chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or a combination of both. Chronic Bronchitis is a respiratory disorder characterized by chronic cough with phlegm for at least three months in a year without the influence of other diseases.

While the anatomic pulmonary emphysema is characterized by dilation of distal airspaces and terminal bronchioles accompanied by alveolar wall destruction. Guidelines for Asthma Diagnosis and Treatment of Lung Association Physician Indonesia mention, often, people with chronic bronchitis showed signs of emphysema.

Not only that, tuberculosis or TB disease caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria are also a threat. This disease is transmitted through saliva splashes when the patient coughs. There is also a pneumonia which is caused by infection of the lung tissue (parenchyma). Generally, the infection is caused by mycoplasma bacteria peneumoniae.

Lung cancer is the most frightening specter for the body. Therefore, based on medical data, including lung cancer cancer that causes many deaths worldwide, as well as cervical cancer in women.

It had been so, this cancer, as he entered the advanced stage, can grow and spread to other parts of the body. According Suhanto Kasmali, Head of Medical Services Mediros Hospital, Jakarta, lung disease is a serious threat for those who live in big cities with high pollution levels, such as Jakarta.

Therefore, everyone needs to prepare a tool that can protect the respiratory system, such as masks. In fact, the mask is obligatory for motorists as well as those working in the field of construction, such as painters, or a chemical factory workers. Well, did you care about your lungs?

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Keep track of cancer in the brain - MRI

Keep track of cancer in the brain - Ratings (staging) of cancer needs to be done to determine the type of treatment will be applied. In my case, of five of the most common cancer in the rating, already among the other four are known, the cell type, primary tumor location, size and number of primary tumor and spread to nearby lymph nodes. Just one thing that is not yet known metastasis or spread to other organs.

I think track cancer cells throughout the body more easily done with a PET Scan (Positron Emission Tomography Scan). In this way cancer cells baited charged radioisotopes that can be tracked using a special camera. With one scan of the cancer cells wherever it can be immediately traced. Unfortunately examination with PET scan cost is still very expensive, and time (year 2007) PET Scan not exist in Indonesia. Tracking cancer in my body starts with MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to track the spread in the brain. It is said that for soft tissues such as brain, the use of MRI is more effective than CT scans.

Unlike the X-ray-based CT Scan, MRI uses magnets and radio waves, the way it works is too complex to be understood. Tools like CT scans, only longer so resembles a large tube with a bed in the middle.

Before the examination I had to fill out a form that contains several questions including whether the installation of metal had to undergo surgery such as bone connective pen, a pacemaker, clip etc.. I have to change clothes with the mantle that has been provided, leaving watches, belts, rings and wallet in a locker. Because this tool uses a powerful magnet, then objects made of metal can be sucked towards him. After the ears are covered head-phones and head-like device inserted into the cage, the officers left me lying alone in the tube.

Of head phones sounded soft instrumental songs. Shortly after the officer gave orders to keep me moving, sounding tubes started humming, growing louder and louder and even then overlaid also with clanking sound. I was afraid, lest the tool is broken and suddenly exploded. But apparently correct paramedic was familiar with these signs. I heard through head phones he told me to remain motionless, and explained that the voice which I heard a tumult was normal.

I think the examination was over when the noises began to subside, but apparently not. A paramedic entered the room and injected with fluid to make the image more contrast. Proses repeated. MRI examination is finished I returned to the ward, because it still needed some more checks.

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Bone scan - Tracking cancer in the bone

Bone scan - Tracking cancer in the bone | Tracking of cancer in the bones using the Bone Scan. This tool is part of the development of nuclear medicine. As far as I am in Jakarta only in four hospitals, including Pertamina Hospital Center, where I was referred for bone scanning performed. It seems to work similar to a bone scan PET Scan (Positron Emission Tomography Scan), in terms of detection of cellular metabolism. Difference if the PET Scan cancer cells fed glucose-charged radio-isotopes for metabolic activity (eating), on the radio isotope bone scan (tracer) is used to track metabolic activity of bone cells.

At a certain incident that resulted in damage to the bone, the bone cells will be busy divide to replace damaged cells. This activity makes bone cells absorb the tracer-laden foods are more than the cells of healthy bones. Tracer that emits radioactive signals is then to be monitored using a special camera (gamma camera). Which found high concentrations of tracer (hot spots), you can bet there are abnormalities of bone.

Cancer cells found in bone also will reveal a hot spot, because cancer cells divide faster and eat more than normal cells. Tracer that was caught on camera in order to actually comes from the bone, then the required time (3 hours) and plenty of water to dissolve the tracer in soft tissue. In soft tissue tracer is more soluble than in the bone. Although the activity of bone cells can also be caused by other things such as arthritis and various infections, but if it has previously found the existence of cancer cells such as my case, it should be suspected spread of cancer to bone.

The main tool bone scan consists of a pair of gamma cameras mounted on two arms of the movable track throughout the body. While other equipment in the form of a set of computers that will change the signal from a gamma camera images. Before the scan was performed, first radioactive substance is injected through a vein in the arm. In order to percolate into the bone takes about two and a half to three hours.

During that time I have a lot to drink so that radioactive substances are not needed immediately dissolve. Shortly before the scan is done I have to pee, so radioactive that collects in the bladder does not give the wrong picture. Scanning process begins by creating a pattern of following the trajectory of the gamma camera's curves, so that the camera came with a distance less than 5cm from the surface of the body. The scanning process lasts approximately 20 minutes.

After waiting for about 15 minutes, then the result can be seen that there are activities in which the ribs 8 and 9 (costae VIII and IX). In the ambulance that took me back to the hospital where treated, though had joked with the nurse who drove me, I feel sad that in fact the cancer had spread to my ribs. [cancer]

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Excessive Perspiration | Lung Wet

Excessive Perspiration | Lung Wet - Many people think a lot of sweat is healthy. In fact, the phrase is actually directed at those from sub-tropical countries, it was in winter and snow. So the phrase is not relevant for use in the tropics as in this country.

In fact, in tropical countries, without any exercise, the body is sweating. In case of sweaty bodies feels uncomfortable, can even lead to falling ill.
One of the diseases that may come as a result most of the sweat is pneumonia. Pneumonia or inflammation of the lungs or pneumonia is so popular, because it often appears as a complication of causes of death especially in patients with bird flu.

Pneumonia is also a trigger complications and causes of death from measles and influenza, especially in young children. The occurrence of pneumonia as a complication of other diseases and causes of these deaths can be prevented, if the body is not disturbed in performing one task importance. That is, the work is usually done the cells that line the inside of the respiratory tract. Each cell has about 200 cilia (a type of hair is very fine) and issued a watery liquid on its surface.

Cilia that move on a regular basis 10-20 times per second without stopping, fluid sweeping velocity of 1 cm per minute to the throat, and then unwittingly swallowed. Normally, dust, germs, smoke, and the like will be attached to the liquid, then wiped from the respiratory tract.

In addition, the liquid is also keeping your airway is always wet. Well, too much sweat, it will cause the liquid to become dry and sticky, so it can be streamed and clump together into phlegm, plus clogging the airways. Airway is blocked causing shortness of breath and coughing. Then, the proliferation of germs can cause bronchitis and pneumonia.

For short-term healing by diluting and removing phlegm and drug use, or commonly known as steam inhalation. There is a more rational and long-term, physiological and easily, namely by preventing excessive perspiration.

Drinking too much will be in vain if the room was still stuffy, because it will come out again through sweat. Understandably, the air is very humid tropical countries (many contain water vapor), so we are very easy to sweat. Water vapor coming out when exhaling reached 11 times more than the air that is inhaled when a breath.

So, in less ventilated room, the air will increasingly humid, CO2 increases and decreases oxygen, so the body becomes very weak, the disease was widespread. To overcome this, the room is not air-conditioned to be always open for fresh air from outside can enter. The fan is useless if there is no fresh air from outside into the room. Avoid cigarette smoke contains many monoxide that can not be cleaned by the air conditioner and beat the oxygen into blood cells.

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