Hundreds take part in World COPD Day celebration

MANILA, Philippines - In celebration of World COPD Day, hundreds of participants exhibited sportsmanship for a good cause in the recent second COPD Olympics held in Quezon City.

COPD, which stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, refers to chronic bronchitis and emphysema, a pair of two commonly co-existing diseases of the lungs in which the airways become narrowed.

This leads to a limitation of the flow of air to and from the lungs causing shortness of breath.

COPD is caused by noxious particles or gas, most commonly from tobacco smoking, which triggers an abnormal inflammatory response in the lung.

COPD is considered as one of the leading causes of death in the Philippines.

To spread awareness on this disease, the Philippine College of Chest Physicians (PCCP) Council on COPD and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, in collaboration with United American Pharmaceuticals Inc. (the Pulmo division of Unilab), organized the olympics, which was held at the Pearl Hall of SEAMEO Innotech along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City with the theme “Control COPD: Breathe better, live longer.”

“We at PCCP thought this was a great idea in spreading the awareness that there’s hope even if you have COPD. The main goal of this event is not just to foster camaraderie among participants. We also wanted to show them that COPD can be controlled. A lot of people think that there’s no life after COPD. Through this olympics, we wanted to show people that life can still go on even if you have COPD,” said Dr. Luisito Idolor, COPD and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Council head.

The event was participated in mostly by COPD patients under the rehabilitation program of eight major Pulmo Training Hospitals in Metro Manila (UST Hospital, Chinese General Hospital, St. Luke’s Medical Center, University of Perpetual Help Rizal Medical Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, Veterans Memorial Medical Center, Philippine General Hospital and the Philippine Heart Center for Asia).

Participants conquered the olympics’ physically challenging activities like the Polo Gold Cup Relay, the All-Star Basketball, the Bulls-eye Pistol Competition, the COPD Masters Mini Golf, as well as an Inter-Hospital Cheering Competition. 

Indeed, by undergoing a rehabilitation program and by taking the right medication, COPD patients can breathe better and live longer.

For more information on COPD as well as COPD rehab programs, contact the PCCP secretariat at 924-9204.