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World COPD Day - a day for smokers to reflect

12 November

Wednesday is the day that anyone who smokes can use to pause for breath. Literally.

Wednesday (November 17th) has been declared World COPD Day. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is the name for a collection of lung diseases often caused by smoking, including chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic obstructive airways disease.

If you have COPD you find it difficult to breathe in and out properly because of the damage done to your lungs. It is debilitating, as Arthur Maxwell can attest.

Arthur, who lives at Tilney St Lawrence near King's Lynn, has COPD, caused by smoking since he was 16. Now 58, Arthur confirms that the disease has had a huge impact on his life.

"It means that I have to walk with a stick most of the time now, as I can not walk very far," he said.

"I have to use a motor scooter to get to the postbox, and that's less than 100 yards up the road.

"If I walk to my garden shed and back I get out of breath, and if I lift anything - such as the vacuum cleaner at home - I get breathless too.

"To vacuum my living room takes me 30 to 35 minutes as I can only do a little bit at a time. I have to keep sitting down."

Arthur started smoking in the late 1960s when it was fashionable to do so, and the health risks were not known.

He added: "Smoking has ruined my life. If I knew then what I know now, I would never have started. Now the damage has been done. It can only be managed.

"It is very foolish to smoke. I would advise everyone never to start smoking, and if they are already I would advise them to stop."

World COPD Day is organised by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), which works with health care professionals and public health officials to raise awareness of COPD and to improve prevention and treatment.

Jennie Pusey, NHS Norfolk's Stop Smoking Services Commissioning Manager, said: "I pay tribute for Arthur for having the courage to come forward, as a COPD sufferer, and share his story. It serves as a reminder to us all of the damage that smoking can do.

“The NHS in Norfolk can help you quit. We have trained staff available to give you the support you may need, and because you’re four times more likely to quit with our help, I urge anyone reading this to make the call now."

You can reach NHS Norfolk's Stop Smoking Service is on 0800 0854 113.

COPD is one of the most common respiratory diseases in the UK. It usually affects people who are over 40 years of age.

Around 900,000 people in the UK have been diagnosed with COPD, but it is thought that the actual figure runs into the millions. This is because many people who develop the symptoms of COPD do not seek medical attention because they often dismiss their symptoms as the result of a ‘smoker’s cough’.

The main cause of COPD is smoking. The likelihood of developing COPD increases the more you smoke and the longer you've been smoking.

COPD builds up over a number of years, causing the airways of your lungs (bronchioles) to narrow, permanently damaging your air sacs. As the condition progresses, breathing in and out will become increasingly difficult. You may find it hard to do normal activities, such as walking to the shops. If not enough oxygen is getting through the narrowed airways to your heart you may also be at risk of heart failure.

The symptoms of COPD can seem similar to those of asthma. Asthma can be controlled with treatment but COPD causes permanent damage to the lungs. Treatment for COPD usually involves relieving the symptoms, for example, by using an inhaler to make breathing easier.

The cost of smoking

The cost - like the effects - of smoking are breathtaking:

Cigarettes can cost around £5 for a pack of 20. If you have a 20-a-day habit then stopping smoking saves you £35 per week. That's £1820 per year. And that can go a long way:

£1820 could probably cover the cost of Christmas, including presents. Plus a week on the beach in the Canary Island afterwards to recover!
If not, a Caribbean cruise for two. Twice a year.
Or if you prefer, chip in another £100 each and two can go to the Seychelles for a seven-day winter break.
You could always treat yourself once a week: £35 buys you a decent meal out for two or, if you prefer, a splendid night out twice a month.

You can find the help you need to quit by calling the Norfolk Stop Smoking Service on 0800 0854 113

email: stop.smoking@norfolk.nhs.uk

Or ask your GP or community pharmacist for help.

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