20% of Pinoys have COPD

MANILA, Philippines - Lung experts from the Philippine College of Chest Physicians (PCCP) have expressed concern that one in five Filipinos has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and many are not even aware of it.

According to PCCP Asthma Council co-chair Ricardo Zotomayor, COPD could not only affect a person’s quality of life, but could also be fatal. 

Zotomayor said COPD was often mistaken for other lung conditions like emphysema and asthma, causing afflicted individuals to receive the wrong treatment.

The PCCP estimates only three percent of Filipinos with COPD consult a doctor, and 50 percent of cases are not aware they have the disease.

“COPD is a life-threatening lung disease that interferes with normal breathing. The primary cause of COPD is tobacco smoke, either through tobacco use or secondhand smoke,” Zotomayor said. 

The most common symptoms are breathlessness, excessive sputum production and chronic cough. 

Zotomayor added that COPD should be considered in any individual 40 years old and above with a “history of exposure to tobacco smoke, smoke from home cooking or heating fuel, and/or occupational dust/chemicals; as well as a family history of COPD.”

COPD can be confirmed by simple diagnostic test, which measures how much air a person can inhale and exhale, and how fast air can move into and out of the lungs.

COPD Foundation of the Philippines and the PCCP Council on Critical Care and Pulmonary Vascular Disorders chairman Teresita de Guia has underscored the importance of early intervention in symptom improvement and fatality risk reduction.