Our body needs oxygen from the air that we breathe in but this is not the only thing that it gets from it. The rising air pollution crisis is becoming a genuine concern for everyone living on this planet. In the recent surveys conducted by the World Health Organization, the air pollution in the two major cities in Pakistan, Lahore and Karachi, is whopping twenty times higher than its safety standards. The condition in other urban cities is nothing better either. So, where does it put us and our health in such a scenario?
We all can’t forget the huge smog that we all experienced in the country back in the year 2016. It all raised serious concerns about the air quality in our country. The heavy traffic, ozone depletion, and fuel consumption are some of the many factors that contribute to the problem. While it made air masks a common sight, it also raised awareness about the many breathing issues this air pollution is causing in the citizens of the country.
1. Asthma
It is one of the most common breathing issues in Pakistan which is affecting over 300 million people currently. Asthma is a chronic lung disease which causes severe difficulty in breathing. “The ratio of patients can increase further in the coming years if air pollution is not controlled,” said Wasif Nagi, the editor of Daily Jung news. Currently, 7% of the country’s population is suffering from Asthma and the number is expected to reach up to 25% in the near future if the factors contributing to its widespread are not curtailed.
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2. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
It is a generic name given to diseases that cause the narrowing of airways in the lungs to causes difficulty in breathing. The two most common breathing issues that fall in this category are:
3.Emphysema
This disease is caused when the air sacs in the lungs rupture decreasing the overall volume of the lungs. This causes shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing.
4. Chronic Bronchitis
This condition occurs when the linings of the trachea become inflamed and begin creating a lot of mucus which creates difficulty in breathing. It is the most common type of COPD and most of the times, patients who have chronic bronchitis end up developing emphysema as well. If you are experiencing severe difficulty in breathing then do consult the best ENT specialist in Lahore without further delay.
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As per a survey conducted in 2013, over 6.9 million Pakistanis suffer from the symptoms of COPD and the number has been on a rise since then. 2.1% of Pakistanis who are above the age of 40, suffer from a COPD of one kind or the other.
5. Lung Cancer
We often blame tobacco smoking for the rising number of lung cancer cases in the country but it is not the only culprit responsible for this epidemic. The worsening air quality is another factor that is contributing to this problem. The number of lung cancer cases have doubled from 7, 700 to over 15,000 from 1990 to 2013 only with the survival rate of the patients being extremely low. The disease is unidentifiable in its early stages but once it begins to spread, the symptoms become quite apparent.
Controlling the spread of these diseases is possible with lifestyle changes but more efforts need to be made to manage the air quality around us. For health concerns, it is better to consult a doctor and get yourself properly evaluated on a regular basis. The sooner you identify one of these breathing issues, the better it would be for your well-being and overall health.
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