Guardian: Ajays 63-year-old frame strains with each breath. He is lying on an emergency-room stretcher in one of Kathmandus large hospitals and he appears exhausted. Behind the oxygen mask, his eyes have the panicked, haunted look of a man who cant breathe. He has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, an umbrella term for emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is killing him.
COPD is most often associated with smokers, but Ajay, like many seeking help at Kathmandu emergency rooms, has never smoked....