Chennai: Though the impact of anti-depressants is debatable, a new study conducted by St Michael’s Hospital in Canada says that anti-depressants can increase the risk of death in people with pulmonary disorders.
The study revealed that chances of death in patients suffering with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could be increased by around 20 per cent due to regular consumption of antidepressants. The morbidity is likely to rise by 15 per cent due to anti-depressants.
Antidepressants can not only lead to sleepiness and vomiting and negatively impact immune system cells, but pulmonary infections, breathing issues, and other respiratory adverse events are some common impacts of antidepressants.
The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2016 data released this year revealed that COPD have seen an increase of 22.71 per cent from 2005 and form a large portion of non-communicable diseases in the country.
COPD is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe due to obstruction in the airflow from the lungs. Smoking remains the most common cause of COPD that shows various symptoms such as breathlessness, cough and wheezing.
Smoking and exposure to chemicals is one reason behind developing COPD over a period of time, while some people can have it due to genetic factors.
Dr K. K. Aggarwal, president, Heart Care Foundation of India said, “About five per cent people with COPD have a deficiency in a protein called alpha-1-antitrypsin which causes lungs to deteriorate and can also affect the liver. The stages of this condition range from stage I to stage IV. With time, the disease progressively becomes worse. Stage IV is also known as ‘end stage’ COPD. Most of the time, COPD is diagnosed in middle-aged or older adults. The disease is not contagious and cannot be passed from person to person.”
“Avoiding exposure to smoking can help reduce the risk of COPD. Medication includes bronchodilators that relax the muscles around the airways. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is advisable. The antioxidants present in them are required to give a boost to your immunity against conditions such as COPD,” said Dr Aggarwal.
