A line of people gathered at the Puritan Conference Center in Manchester an hour before Breathe New Hampshire’s community-based COPD screening event on Sunday, November 16, was scheduled to begin. They were waiting to see if they might have COPD, which is the acronym for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, an umbrella term for chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It is currently the 4th leading cause of death, but will be the thirdleading cause of death by 2020. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that 12 million people have been diagnosed with COPD, and 12 million are symptomatic or developing COPD. The most common symptom is shortness of breath. “Since this was the first time we hosted such an event, we didn’t know what to expect in terms of turnout,” said Diane Smogor, VP of Program Services for Breathe New Hampshire. “We were really pleased that so many people came to be screened.” The organization offered free testing to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This was the first time such an event had taken place in the Granite State. The National COPD Foundation brought its mobile spirometry unit to the facility and with the help of over 20 volunteers, 111 people received this test that lets a person know how well their lungs are working and if they may be at risk for developing COPD. The majority of participants were from the greater Manchester area, however, some people came from as far as Laconia, Portsmouth, Concord, Goffstown, Northfield, Warner, and other towns around the state. Following an intake process similar to that of a doctor’s office, individuals waited for their turn to sit with a respiratory health practitioner trained in reading the simple test. The test is done with a spirometer, which consists of a mouthpiece and disposable tubing connected to a handheld machine that records the results. The person inhales deeply, closes the mouth tightly around a tube and then exhales through the tubing while measurements are taken. The volume of air inhaled or exhaled, and the length of time each breath takes are recorded and analyzed. The measurements indicate how much air the lungs can hold and how well the respiratory system is able to move air into and out of the lungs. “This test is non-invasive, simple, and quick,” said Smogor. “However, the test is not routinely offered in a doctor’s office, which is a problem. We know that the earlier lung disease is diagnosed, the better the outcome is apt to be.” One gentleman said, “I was a heavy smoker for years and decided I should take advantage of this free opportunity, so I came down.” One cause of COPD is smoking, however, many individuals develop COPD who have never smoked a single cigarette. There is a form of COPD called Alpha-1 that is actually hereditary. Alpha-1 testing was also free and available to those who were at risk at the Breathe New Hampshire screening event. “There’s a history of emphysema in my family, so I thought I should get the test done,” said one woman from Bow. This test required a finger stick for blood and those tested will receive results in a week or two from a lab. Another woman said she had come to have the test done as a baseline in the event she should develop lung problems later in life. Much to her surprise she discovered that her test showed some lung distress. Individuals who exhibited some lung distress were advised to visit a physician. Dr. Albee Budnitz, a Nashua pulmonologist and longtime Breathe New Hampshire Board member, was on hand to provide one-on-one information to those who were seeking advice about their spirometry readings, different medications and other questions. In addition to the two lung specific tests, attendees could also have their blood pressure taken and receive a flu shot. Attendees, sponsors and exhibitors agreed that this first screening event was a success and there are plans to conduct more of these community-based screenings in the future. The event was sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, Talecris Biotherapeutics, Baxter BioScience, the NH Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, the COPD Foundation, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Watch a slideshow of images captured at the event here.
|