Although the percentage of smokers is gradually going down, there are still many millions smoking daily and every day new smokers join these ranks – and one of the results of this is that many of them will end up with breathing problems.

These breathing problems can end up turning into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with all the limitations this entails. Around 20% of all smokers end up with ” COPD” and over 90% of COPD sufferers were smokers. When you translate these percentages into real figures the results number in the millions – and yet there are new smokers all the time.

So what happens when you develop COPD? Apart from the obvious lung damage and effects on the physical well being of a person a very large number of cases will end up needing supplemental oxygen full time.

Anyone who has smoked for any length of time will have a certain amount of lung damage and this is usually irreversible (it will depend of a few factors that include how long they have smoked, at what age they started, how much did they smoke and physical characteristics). But having said that lung damage will be less when you stop smoking.

What to do/ Aside from not smoking (I had to put that in), in most cases oxygen therapy is prescribed as part of the overall recovery and treatment process. Thanks to this therapy patients are no longer lost in a maze of clinics, but can now keep on practicing most normal activities. Both of these issues are vitally important. On the one hand all mammals, and this means us, need oxygen as the most basic survival requirement. On the other hand the need for an active lifestyle cannot be stressed enough. It is important not only for the psychological point of view where it provides at least a minimum of purpose, but also from the physical health aspect. Immobility is not a healthy option.

There are two aspects that need to be highlighted.

The first is preventive measures. We as a society are much more aware of the dangers of smoking and the legislation and conviction are reduced numbers of smokers, or at least smoking opportunities. This still means that many millions will require oxygen therapy in the future – but at least it’s not as any as could be. (The social costs can only be measured in billions of dollars).

The other point is that everyone expects an active life and this should also be combined with quality of life. If you are bound to a bed, whether in a home or a clinic, then for most people quality of life will be low. Oxygen therapy can now be delivered with more modern machines that allow most patients a certain level of activity – these machines include stationary and portable oxygen tanks.

It used to be that a patient that needed oxygen full time would be stuck to a clinic. If extra oxygen had to be given on a partial basis (not 24/7), then continuous visits had to be made. Now patients can get home oxygen systems as well as portable ones. This has made a great difference from all points of view – work, social activities and travel, both short distances and even flights. As a point of fact, the FAA has authorized certain oxygen concentrators on board flights.

Various devices such as pulse of oximeters, that measure oxygen saturation, and oxygen flow regulators are part of standard equipment that long-term oxygen patients are using – and as a result they are increasing their potential levels of activity.