KOCHI: Asthma, bronchiectasis and other diseases of the airways of the lungs were the focus of the discussions at the joint national conference of Indian Chest Society and National College of Chest Physicians ‘NAPCON’ on Friday.
Addressing the session on airway diseases, Dr Peter Howarth, Professor of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, University of Southampton in the UK, said that the prevalence of airway diseases was underrated. “Asthma, COPD, and bronchiectasis have to be distinguished at the early stage for effective treatment and care. Conditions and components leading to chest tightness, wheezing, dyspnoea, cough, and sputum are all nonspecific,” said Peter.
Dr C Ravindran, former principal of Government Medical College, Kozhikode, spoke on control measures for asthma, the common chronic respiratory condition causing inflammation of the airway causing breathing difficulty. Scientific discussions were held on bronchiectasis, another condition where the airways of the lungs become abnormally widened and thickened. This results in build-up of bacteria and excess mucus causing frequent infections. The conference is hosted by Kerala Chapter of Indian Chest Society, Academy of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Cochin Thoracic Society.