Non-communicable · High priority
Chronic respiratory diseases
Core disease facts with the linked government programme, prevention and treatment or cure reality.
TypeMainly non-infectious chronic lung diseases; asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are not bacterial or viral infections.
Government programmes, schemes and services
- Programme: National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD): Includes asthma and COPD in health promotion, early identification, treatment, follow-up and referral through the public health system.
- Programme: National Tobacco Control Programme: Prevents tobacco-related COPD and supports quitting through awareness, cessation services and enforcement of tobacco-control law.
- Service: Ayushman Arogya Mandir: Provides nearby assessment and continuing primary care for uncomplicated chronic respiratory disease, with referral for severe cases.
Prevention
- Prevent: Tobacco cessation, cleaner household/occupational air, symptom recognition, spirometry for suspected chronic airflow disease
Treatment and cure reality
- Treat: Lung-cancer cure depends on stage; asthma is usually controllable; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease airflow damage is not reversible, but symptoms/exacerbations can be reduced.
Must remember
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation, strongly associated with tobacco and biomass-smoke exposure.
- Asthma: Variable symptoms and variable expiratory airflow limitation; wheeze, breathlessness, chest tightness, and cough.
- Key distinction: Asthma airflow obstruction is typically variable/reversible; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease limitation is more persistent.
- Spirometry: Main confirmatory test for chronic airflow obstruction; peak flow is useful for variability/monitoring but does not replace full spirometry.
- Inhaler principle: Correct device technique and adherence often matter as much as the prescription.
- Acute danger signs: Inability to speak full sentences, silent chest, exhaustion, cyanosis, altered sensorium, or low oxygen saturation.
- Government link: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were explicitly added as the older cancer-diabetes-cardiovascular-stroke programme expanded into the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases.