What is COPD?

 

COPD can be extended as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is a term commonly used for group of lung problems including but not limited to emphysema, chronic bronchitis and refractory asthma. The disease is mainly characterized by severe breathing difficulty and coughing, which is mistakenly concluded as the normal part of aging.

How prevalent is COPD?

It has been reported that only in the US, almost 26 million people are affected with COPD.  It is considered to be the third leading cause of death in developed countries of the world. It is been observed that more than 50% of the adults with low PFT are not aware that they have COPD. Thus the actual figure for people suffering with the disease is seemed to be way beyond the number reported.

The following groups are more susceptible to the disease

• Aged people above 60 years.
• Non Hispanic whites
• Women
• Ideal individuals; who are unemployed, retired or unable to work.
• People with low income groups.
• Current or former smokers
• Those with the family history of asthma.

Factors responsible for COPD

With the increasing survey, it has been commonly concluded that the tobacco smoke is the principal cause for the development of the COPD. Both active as well as passive smokers are at higher risk of COPD. Other than tobacco, people who have long term exposure to air pollutants in the home as well as at workplace; can also be affected with COPD.  Apart from the main cause, some of the secondary risk factors mentioned here can as well be related to the development of COPD such as

• Family History
• Preterm Birth
• Asthma

Symptoms Associated with the COPD

Initially, the condition may go on without any signs and symptoms; however, progressively the disease may get worsen due to long term exposure of lungs to the irritants. The signs and symptoms of COPD patients may include

• An ongoing cough, containing lot of mucus; which is generally known as the smokers cough.
• Shortness of breath especially after physical activity with generally a wheezing sound.
• Tightness of chest.
• Attacks of flu like symptoms often.

Sometimes, symptoms are more severe depending upon the lung damage. They may include

• Swelling of feet, ankles or legs.
• Low muscle endurance.
• Severe breathlessness, having hard time to catch hold of breath.
• The lips or fingernails may turn blue or grey depending upon the oxygen level in the body.
• Your heart beat is very fast, not being

Prognosis associated with the COPD

Based on the signs and symptoms, the diagnosis will be confirmed.  Some of the medical test that can be prescribed along with the counselling for family history, habits, etc. can be as follows

• Lung Function Test
• Spirometry
• Chest X Ray/ CT Scan

As such with conventional treatment approach there is no permanent cure available for the disease, some short terms goals however are set to check the effectiveness of the treatment such as

• Relieving your symptoms
• Slowing the progress of the disease
• Improving exercise efficiency
• Preventing and treating the complications

What goes wrong in the COPD?                        

It is important to know, how our respiratory system work in order to understand what exactly is COPD! Every time we breathe in, the oxygenated air is passed on into our bronchial tubes via windpipes. These bronchial tubes are further branched into various tiny passages, know to be bronchioles. These bronchioles open into air sacs inside the lung. These air sacs are known as Alveoli.  They act as balloons, after inhalation they get stretched and filled with the oxygenated air whereas during the process of exhalation; these alveoli shrink back.

These alveoli are made up of many tiny blood vessels called as capillaries, which supply oxygenated blood to the different parts of the body. At the same time, deoxygenated blood is being collected from different sources in the body for exhalation as a waste material.

The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can make below mentioned changes in our respiratory system; such as

• Air sacs and air ways lose their elasticity to stretch and compress.
• The walls of the air sacs are damaged due to long term exposure.
• The walls of the alveoli get thickened and inflamed; due to which clogging of the clean air take place.

Thus for people with COPD, the flow of oxygenated air is obstructed. Due to the deprivation of oxygen; COPD may give rise of many associated complications.

With the current treatment approach, it is not possible to reverse the damage associated with the disease neither to stop its progression completely. However, with the technical advancements various modern treatments are available, which are cheap, effective and less risky such as stem cells treatment.

How Stem Cells Treatment for COPD can help!

Stem cells are the mother cells that are responsible for developing an entire human body from a tiny two celled embryo; due to their unlimited divisions and strong power to differentiate into all the cells of different lineage. This power of stem cells has been harnessed by the technology to isolate them outside the human body, concentrate in the clean environment and implant back.

Thus, stem cells therapy for COPD involves administration of concentrated cells in the targeted area, wherein they can colonize in the damaged area, adapt the properties of resident stem cells and initiate some of the lost functions that have been compromised by the disease or injury.

The different stem cells such as mesenchymal stem cells isolated from different sources of both allogenic as well autologous sources are known to be differentiating into cells of different origin through their trans differentiation properties. These stem cells are known to possess angiogenic properties to enhance the network of blood vessels.

Treatment of COPD at GIOSTAR

We have mastered the technology for isolating maximum number of viable stem cells from either the autologous sources of your own body or allogeneically with the matched donor to treat various patients with COPD. We are the licensed, private organization with the excellent, well equipped state of the art facility to isolate process and enrich the viable number of stem cells, which can be re infused back into the patient’s body. Generally, these cells are administered through any one of the below mentioned methods depending upon our expert’s advice:

• Local Administration:-Through this mode, cell are infused directly at the targeted site of injury. Thus in case of COPD, stem cells are infused directly in to the lungs through catheter based delivery system.

• Intravenous Administration:- Through this mode, cells are infused through the veins to expand blood volumes in the central nervous system, to ensure that the maximum number of cells are reaching to the targeted area.

Once infused back in the body, these cells can be repopulated at the damaged parts of the organ, through their strong paracrine effects and differentiate into lost or damaged alveolar epithelial cells of the air sacs. They can as well create new blood vessels to improve the supply of blood or help in production of supporting cells to improve the functioning of the vascular system.

Thus with our standardized, broad based and holistic approach, it is now possible to obtain noticeable improvements in the patients with the COPD, in the symptoms as well as their functional abilities.

What Sets Us Apart

• Headquartered in USA.
• The founder is leading stem cell scientist credited with helping in setting up the stem cell research labs at top research institutions in the US including Salk Research Institute, Sanford-Burnham Institute, UCI, UCSD.
• Scientific And Medical Advisers/Consultants are comprising of luminaries who have worked at University of California, San Diego (UCSD), University of California Irvine (UCI).
• State of the art and the first private hospital in the India inaugurated by (then Chief Minister of State of Gujarat) and present Prime Minister of India.
• One of the world’s largest Stem Cell Hospital funded by the government of Gujarat, India.

Disclaimer : Results may vary for each patient. GIOSTAR practice the application of stem cell therapy within the legal regulations of each country.