Gasping for breath

A patient suffering from ‘smoker’s chest’ tells CATHERINE SIOW how he manages to cope with the degenerative lung disease. 

COMMONLY called “smoker’s chest” simply because most patients have been smokers, COPD (Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease) is a disease of the lungs caused mainly by chronic cigarette smoking. The illness is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A World Health Organisation (WHO) report states that COPD is the fifth leading cause of global mortality – an estimated 2.74 million people died of COPD in 2000.