Illness often goes unrecognized for a long time: smokers and breathing problems? Get checked for COPD

Berlin. Frequent coughing or shortness of breath when climbing stairs can indicate chronic lung disease. Anyone who notices such complaints should have them checked out by a doctor, advises Johannes Nießen, acting head of the Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG). Because COPD often goes unnoticed for a long time.

The abbreviation COPD stands for “chronic obstructive pulmonary disease”. According to BIÖG and the Federal Government Commissioner for Addiction and Drug Issues Hendrik Streeck, smoking is the biggest risk factor: an estimated 80 to 90 percent of illnesses can be traced back to it.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), 36,716 people in Germany died of COPD in 2023. According to Streeck, this is not a harmless smoker's cough: "Destroyed lung tissue does not grow back."

Quitting smoking is worth it for many reasons

Tobacco smoke causes inflammation and damages, among other things, the cilia that remove mucus and foreign substances from the lungs. Alveoli can also be destroyed. Narrowed airways and damaged lung tissue make it difficult to breathe.

Quitting smoking can reduce the risk of illness. It is also worthwhile if you have already been diagnosed with COPD: it can slow down further loss of lung function and improve life expectancy, says Nießen.

Anyone who stops smoking can also minimize their risk of other diseases - according to the German Cancer Aid, the risk of developing lung cancer drops by 60 percent five years after quitting smoking.

BIÖG offers free telephone advice on quitting smoking on 0800 8313131. It is available Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Further information is available at rauchfrei-info.de.