San José, Costa Rica. Noviembre, 2015.

Smoking can cause irreversible problems to your lungs. This vice is the main cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (CPOD) from tobacco smoke both in active smokers as well as in ex-smokers.

According to Dr. Luis Ugalde, specialist in Pneumology of the Clínica Bíblica Hospital, “in most cases, CPOD is caused by smoking, having smoked or having been exposed to firewood smoke. In some cases, it could be due to breathing other damaging substances (labor risk or pollution).”

The most frequent symptoms are lack of air, abnormal expectoration and chronic cough. As the disease advances, daily activities, such as climbing stairs or carrying a suitcase, can become very difficult.

A person with a history of smoking, who shows the following symptoms, is a candidate to suffer from CPOD:

• Coughing with a morning prevalence accompanied with phlegm during at least three months of the year.
• Difficulty breathing (fatigue or lack of air), at the beginning when having to make important efforts and as it progresses, the difficulty becomes usual during daily tasks, and later on, even when resting, in the advanced stages of the disease.
• Frequent respiratory infections.

In case the above occurs, seek medical assistance immediately in order to discard or confirm the presence of this illness. The presence of CPOD is confirmed with a simple diagnostic test, called spirometry, which measures the quantity and speed of the inhaled and exhaled air.

The private hospital in Costa Rica, Clínica Bíblica Hospital offers, in order to obtain further information or to request an appointment in any of the medical specialties with the best doctors of Costa Rica, the telephone line 2522-1000, the email address citas@clinicabiblica.com or via chat at the website: www.clinicabiblica.com