Health experts claim Chest Rehabilitation (CR), a set of lung exercises, can help control Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a major health issue with high mortality rates globally including Nepal.

COPD is a preventable as well as treatable disease that blocks airflow to the lungs. Air pollution, smoking, tobacco and excessive inhalation of biogases cause this disease. It is a high risk factor in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus (DM) and Neoplasma.

Regular practice of CR that includes chest exercise, abdominal breathing, muscle exercise, pursed up breathing and relaxation helps to reduce the risk of COPD and other lung diseases by minimizing the airflow obstruction, health experts say. Results of a three-year project in Bhaktapur that studied CR procedure on patients suffering COPD show the exercises made a difference to nearly 1,300 patients.

The project started the study in 2015 for the first time in Nepal. Non-governmental and governmental organisations such as the Japan International Medical Technology Foundation (JIMTEF), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in collaboration with Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) and Society for Local Integrated Development (SOLID) Nepal participated in the study.

JIMTEF Director General Dr. Mitsuhiro Kamimura claimed the project successful. “CR programme should be expanded to other districts by the government as it requires low-cost relatively less manpower, but can yield maximum benefits to the patients.”

According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 250 million people in the world suffer from COPD and three million die because of it annually. It ranks third among the killer diseases in the world.

Third-world countries like Nepal account for nearly 90 percent of all COPD related mortalities. Around 0.96 million Nepalis suffer COPD which claims 16,000 deaths every year.

While 3,600 deaths per 100,000 patients occur globally, Nepal records a higher ratio with 4,800 deaths for every 100,000 patients. Global Burden of Diseases 2016 data shows COPD related deaths in Nepal have increased 24.2 percent since 2005. COPD is the second most life-threatening disease in the country.