Breathing polluted air day after day does great harm to the lungs, so lung health must be protected at every stage of life from childhood to old age, chest specialists said at a roundtable on lifelong lung health in Dhaka on Sunday.

The discussion was organised with the support of the Chest and Heart Association of Bangladesh and Aristopharma PLC. The keynote was presented by Dr S M Abdullah Al Mamun, senior consultant in respiratory medicine at Evercare Hospital Dhaka.

Panellists included Dr Md Zahirul Islam Shakil, president of the Chest and Heart Association of Bangladesh; Dr Golam Sarwar Liaquat Hossain Bhuiyan, director of the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital; Professor Dr Foyara Tasmim, additional director general (planning and development) of the Directorate General of Health Services; and Evercare's Professor Dr Roushni Jahan and Dr Ziaul Haque, among other doctors.

Speakers said lung health requires giving up smoking and tobacco products and controlling air pollution. E-cigarettes and vaping harm the lungs as conventional tobacco does, they said, so their use should stop and steps should be taken against the spread of other nicotine products.

Any lung disease should be diagnosed and treated early, they added, and since awareness is essential, the media has an important part to play in getting accurate, reliable health information to the public.

Source: Desh Rupantor