Alejandro Vargas / El Diario de Juárez
Thursday, December 29, 2022 | 07:30
Juarez City.- During 2022, in Juárez, 92 people died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In 2021, the figure was 91 fatalities in the town, maintaining the behavior. According to Guadalupe Espitia Hernández, a pulmonologist at the Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers (ISSSTE), the use of vapers is one of the main triggers.
He stated that its use in people with a genetic predisposition to COPD accelerates the development of the pathology in a period of three to five years compared to the 15 to 20 that it takes to develop in a smoker. He specified that this condition destroys lung tissue and is characterized by causing air entrapment in the lungs, due to which they lose their elastic capacity, grow and retain the air that is inhaled.
“COPD continues to be an international alert because of the non-infectious chronic-degenerative pulmonary diseases it is number one in the world, with a prevalence of 10.3 percent in the global population,” he reported, noting that in the ISSSTE five out of every 10 patients who require oxygen to live are due to COPD in terminal stages, so he appealed to conscience to avoid this pathology.
To reduce its impact on the deterioration of life, disability, risk of death and high financial expense, he recommended raising awareness among the population in preventive actions, such as not using vapers, not smoking or exposing themselves to tobacco smoke or biomass inhalation (wood smoke). ) and encourage the use of industrial protection masks in mining workers, which has been shown to reduce the risk of COPD.
On May 31 of this year, the presidential decree prohibited the circulation and commercialization within the republic, regardless of its origin: of electronic nicotine administration systems, similar systems without nicotine, systems alternative consumption of nicotine, electronic cigarettes and vaporizers, as well as the solutions and mixtures used.
