COPD

[Poppy3052]

After having 4 chest infections in a year, I asked my doctor if Stiglagliptin may be an underlying factor. After some research she agreed and took me off them She also sent me for a chest x-ray which came back clear, but with (in small print) possible early stages of COPD. This really shocked me as I have never smoked!! However my doctor said this wording is often put on the bottom of chest x-ray results and can be misleading. So I think if this happens, more extensive tests to get a proper diagnosis may be the best way forward.

[pergola1]

I must look after stiglaglaptin - new one with me. I have been having constant chest infections but have put on azithromycin by the consultant. It seems to work, touch wood. Chest infections seem to come with these conditions.

[tigershay1]

Just read your post please please ask to be referred to a respiratory consultant. I have nevrr smoked and up until my thirties very healthy got pneumonia then fine for few years until five years ago and wham each winter constant chest infections. I asked for referral to chest consuptant last year and made mistake of going to local hospital instead of bigger specialist ...still you expect a level of care. No investigations just gave me a new inhaler and tablet see in three months and saw him in nov 13 to be told discharge me in may this year not want to see me when ill over winter nor any plan for me !!! Now been ill since dec and going for second opinion and tests next tues. Ive wasted a year of my life i am angry upset my whole life revolves round being in house as im too weak and ill to go out other thAn in car to dr or my daughters. Im only 49 . So please do not take this lying down xxx

[Tara3253 in reply to tigershay1]

Sorry u are having a rough time love I am here if you want to talk I also am 44 with COPD suffer bad from it can be stuck in doors for days maybe we can support eachother?? .... I trying to make a few friends on here to help me cope and understand my illness...

[jimmyw123]

i see stiglagliptin is for diabeties, it seems to me all medicines have some sort of side effects, and these can differ from person to person.

i take an ant-tnf injection [humira] for ankylosing spondylitis once a fortnight.

this causes a dip in my immune system, i have had quite a few copd chest infections the past year. my doctor was questioning this to my rheumatalogist. , its seems they have decided to leave me on this drug [but monitor it] as the benefits outweigh the downsides.

if this medicine was helping you, i would agree that more extensive tests should be done, so that a proper diagnoses would be the best way forward

[droo32]

Unfortunately, the assertion that only "old smokers" get COPD is a popular falsehood. I am in no way trying to negate or belittle the fact that smoking and age are the leading risk factors for COPD, but many large population based studies of western nations spanning over the past decade have repetitively shown that over half of COPD patients are under 65 and about 1/4 of all those diagnosed have never smoked. Here in the good ol' US of A the government almost exclusively blames all COPD on smoking and states that smokers are 12 to 13 times more likely to develop COPD however the majority of epidemiological studies indicate that this is a dramatic exaggeration and that in reality smokers are about 4 to 5 times as likely. In Europe at least the correct statistics are accurately cited.

europeanlung.org/en/project...

europeanlung.org/en/lung-di...

Here is a small sample of some of the epidemiological studies I refer to.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/161...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/224...

cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrht...

Unfortunately because of the stigma created by all the anti-smoking campaigns, there is comparatively VERY little research funding for COPD and other lung diseases.

This is just the way things are today. The only way they will change is with more awareness and research funding.

fairfoundation.org/