Smoking catches up as COPD strikes young in Kashmir

By Hirra Azmat

Srinagar, Mar 20: Once the disease of the old age, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has started afflicting the younger generation in Kashmir due to increasing smoking habits.
The COPD is a chronic lung disease that inflames lungs, causing obstructed airflow from them.
Breathing difficulty, cough, mucus (sputum) production, and wheezing are common symptoms of the disease.
Dr Naveed Shah, Head Department of Pulmonary Medicine at GMC Srinagar, said COPD was “predominantly” a disease of smokers.
“This problem develops gradually among people exposed to smoke like smokers. Symptoms are mostly detected in the people above 45-years. But these days, such symptoms are seen in young people. This reflects the increasing habit of smoking among young people,” Dr Shah told The Kashmir Monitor.
Despite lowering tobacco use in recent years, India is home to an estimated 6,25,000 child smokers aged 10–14 years, according to Global Tobacco Atlas data released last week.
Kashmir is no exception to the trend.
A Research by Voluntary Health Association of India, (VHAI) claims “26.6% population of Jammu & Kashmir uses tobacco in one or the other form”.
“Out of these users, 41.6% are males and 10.3% females. The average age of initiation into tobacco use is 17.3 years in adults, 17.5 years in males and 14.9 years in females,” the findings reveal.
Umer Bhat, 35, who developed the habit of smoking during his college days, last month rushed to a hospital with complaints of breathlessness and suffocation.
“The test reports confirmed my diagnosis of COPD. I left smoking but doctors advised me to continue medicines,” Bhat said.
Smoking, however, is not the only factor that contributes to COPD.
Dr Shah said, “Besides smoking, genetic problems, increasing levels of indoor and outdoor pollution also contribute to this disease. Though adverse climatic conditions like cold don’t cause the disease, yet they aggravate it.”
“Once the disease takes root in the body, no further precautions can help. A person has to take medicines all life.”
Despite increasing prevalence, there is a lack of awareness about the disease. “COPD incidence is witnessing a rapid rise. The awareness levels about the condition among the masses warranting greater awareness,” Dr. Shah said.
An official in the Chest Disease Hospital Dalgate said, “There is an increase of 300-500 percent in patient load over previous years with such problems.”
Quoting a research, noted pulmonologist, Dr. Parvaiz Kaul said, “There is a very high prevalence of COPD in Kashmir with prevalent rates touching 14% in females and more than 17% in males. This is the highest in India.”
He said that other than the urban communities, the disease has a high prevalence in nomadic communities like Gujjars.
Doctors warn that lack of awareness in the Valley leads to “underestimating disease prevalence, resulting in disease progression and poor disease management”.
“The most important factor in prevention is reducing exposure like stopping smoking, resorting to use of cleaner fuel for cooking and adequate ventilation in homes with proper venting out of smoke through chimneys,” said Dr. Koul, who is head of Internal and Pulmonary Medicine at SK Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura.
He said, “Treatment consists in bronchodilator, vaccinations and pulmonary rehabilitation. Oxygen is needed in many cases.”