Respiratory diseases: we cannot afford to be overlook
Respiratory diseases could be major or minor. You have minor disease like common flu to critical disease like lethal influenza, bird flue, SARS, etc.
Hence, we cannot afford to overlook the serious consequences of the respiratory diseases.
Let’s see some facts below that you will know how serious respiratory diseases can do damage to us.
a. Over 1 billion people in the word are being threatened by increasingly serious air polution
b. By 2020, estimated about 8 million people will die due to air pollution.
c. Hal a million people are killed by air pollution in Asia every year.
d. According to WHO conservative estimate, about 100,000 man suffer from nasopharyngeal carcinoma every year and the ratio for male to female is 3 to
e. About 1.1 billion smokers in this word presently and is expected increase to 1.3 billon by 2015.
f. 2 million asthma patients in Australia and the incidence of asthma is on the rise in the entire world, about up 50% since the past two decades.
g. According to WHO estimation in 2007, about 210million people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the world. WHO predictes that this disease will become third most important cause of death in the world by 2030.
Below are some typical respiratory disease:
Asthma
Affecting as many as 300million people worldwide, asthma can be caused by an over reaction of the immune system to factors such as allergens like pollen and animal dander, air pollutants like smoke and dust, vigorous exercise and exposure to cold air or sudden temperature change. THis results in inflammation of the breathing tubes and narrowing of the airways, thus causing difficulties in breathing.
Pneumonia
Together with influenza, pneumonia is currently ranked as the seventh leading cause of death in the USA. Characterized by infection or inflammation of the lungs, pneumonia is mainly caused by viruses, bacteria and mycoplasmas. The onset of a common bacterial pneumonia such as Streptococcus pneumonia can produce gradual or sudden symptoms: uncontrollable shaking, chattering teeth, severe chest pains, sweating and coughing up rust colored or greenish mucus.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
COPD will reduce the ability of the lungs to maintain the body’s oxygen supply and to remove carbon dioxide. Compromised pulmonary functions will result in the sufferer feeling debilitated. In addition, COPD sufferers will present breathing difficulty on sight exertion and are unable to conduct regular day to day activities. As a consequences, COPD sufferers will appear listless. Such impaired air stream will eventually jeopardize the life of the patient.
Common symptoms of COPD are short breath, continuous coughing with or without sputum, increased mucus production, breathing difficulty, chest pain, panting, etc. All the symptoms of COPD will invariably weaken the sufferer. Moreover, the disease will bring about remarkable negative impact on the suffer’s day to day living, for instance many are unable to sleep well because of the symptoms.
Boost our immune system for greater heatlh
We can still survive for weeks without food, for days without water, but we can hardly stay alive for minutes if we stop breathing. Therefore, we must strive to maintain a good health of our respiratory system to ensure that we breathe smoothly every day. We can enhance the health of our respiratory system through the intake of high quality plant foods, while maintaining regular work and rest schedules, stable emotions as well as adequate physical exercises.
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