COPD is now a disease of non-smokers too

PUNE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has become the fifth most deadly disease in the world.

COPD is still known to be a smoker's disease. However, according to experts, COPD among non-smokers has become one of the major problems in developing countries.

Although COPD has a strong correlation with smokers, recent studies have shown that there are many other risk factors that trigger disease in nonsmokers. Nearly half of the world's population is exposed to the smoke of biomass used for cooking and heating. As a result, exposure to biomass is the leading cause of COPD in rural areas, resulting in higher mortality rates.

In urban India, 32% of households still use biomass stoves, 22% of firewood, 8% of kerosene and Rest use less polluting fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas or natural gas. About 50% of deaths from COPD in developing countries are attributable to biomass smoke. about 75% of whom are women.

Biomass fuels such as wood, manure cakes, crop residues are as risky as active smoking. According to reports, the prevalence of COPD in women has almost tripled. Experts point out that this is because women and girls, especially in rural areas, spend more time in cooking.

More than 80 percent of households in China, India and sub-Saharan Africa use biomass fuel for cooking because of their ready availability. Biofuels produce very high levels of indoor air pollution. Most often, kitchens in rural areas lack basic facilities and are poorly ventilated, leaving the housewife exposed to extremely high levels of gaseous pollutants and particulates.

According to expert Azmat Karim, "The lower standard of living in a country like India has resulted in several deaths because of COPD, which is especially deadly because we can not identify the disease and treat it at the right level. especially when the patient does not smoke the diagnosis takes longer. "