VOA标准英语2010年-New Study Shows Improved Treatment For

Chronic¹ Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, known as COPD, is a life-threatening illness commonly brought on by years of smoking.  The World Health Organization estimates that more than 200 million people have been diagnosed with the illness, and that most live in low- and middle-income countries.  While it isn't curable, patients' lives can be extended with treatment such as steroids.  A new study shows that low doses of the medicine given by mouth are equal to, or better than, a heavy dose administered intravenously.

Meet Dr. Francis Welch, a retired² dentist and now a patient diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.  He is paying the price for years of smoking. "I have to think about breathing 60 minutes of every hour.  It's a heck of a nuisance," he says.

Because COPD is an ailment³ that blocks airflow in the lungs, it is critical that COPD patients often focus on breathing, exercise regularly and learn relaxation⁴ techniques, especially when they are short of breath.  

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease stems from emphysema and chronic bronchitis, as well as asthmatic bronchitis. Other symptoms include wheezing⁵, a chronic cough producing yellow mucous⁶, and frequent respiratory infections.

The most common cause of COPD is long-term smoking or years of exposure to second-hand⁷ smoke. 
Miners and workers in chemical industries also are vulnerable because of their exposure to dust, harmful chemicals and fumes⁸.

Doctors say the damage brought on by these conditions eventually interrupts the natural exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs.  When those conditions worsen, doctors often treat patients with steroids.

Dr. Peter Lindenauer of Tufts University School of Medicine and his colleagues studied COPD patients treated at 400 hospitals in 2006 and 2007. During hospitalization, patients were treated with steroids either intravenously or by mouth.  "The patients in the intravenous therapy group are receiving ten times as high a dose of steroids over the first two days of hospitalization, as compared to patients in the oral therapy group," he says.

In the study, patients who received lower doses of steroids by mouth spent less time in the hospital, and their risk of side effects such as glaucoma, high blood pressure and edema, or swelling⁹ in the legs, was reduced.

Dr. Welch stopped smoking more than a decade ago, and he persuaded his son to quit also. "He saw me walking around with a can of liquid oxygen.  That got his attention.  He finally did smoke, quit smoking, thank God," he says.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
 

1 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

2 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 ailment   

n.疾病，小病

参考例句：

• I don't have even the slightest ailment.我什么毛病也没有。
• He got timely treatment for his ailment.他的病得到了及时治疗。

4 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

5 wheezing   

v.喘息，发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的现在分词 )；哮鸣

参考例句：

• He was coughing and wheezing all night. 他整夜又咳嗽又喘。
• A barrel-organ was wheezing out an old tune. 一架手摇风琴正在呼哧呼哧地奏着一首古老的曲子。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 mucous   

adj. 黏液的，似黏液的

参考例句：

• Healthy,skin,mucous membranes,and cilia are natural barriers to many viruses.健康的皮肤，粘膜和纤毛是许多病毒的天然屏障。
• Seromucous glands contain both mucous and serous cells.浆粘液腺既含有粘液性细胞，又含有浆液性细胞。

7 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

8 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

9 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。