Precautions for COPD and Asthma patients in COVID situation
COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest threat to mankind that happened in last 100 years after Spanish Flu (World War I in 1918). It has affected all the continents and countries of the world. No age or no gender has been spared from its wrath. It is highly contagious and like other respiratory viruses, it invades the body through the nasopharyngeal route and eventually leads to pneumonia in severe cases. So, it is very natural that the patients with bad lungs who are suffering from diseases like Bronchial Asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are at the highest of the risk.
We do not have a definitive treatment for COVID-19 till now. Taking appropriate precautions is the only way to protect yourself and people around you. We know the facts to halt the spread of the disease like stay home, maintaining safe distance (social distancing), clean your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. But patients with structural lung diseases like COPD or Bronchial Asthma need more precautions than people who have healthy lungs.
The first thing is to take a prompt action and report to your doctor if you suspect any type of infection. Keeping your medications in bulk, taking the medicine regularly as prescribed by the doctor is highly recommended. It is wise to remain in touch with your doctor and telemedicine is the way forward. This would avoid hospital visits and subsequently reduce the chances of getting infected with this deadly virus. Taking proper medicine and keeping yourself symptom free would also give you confidence.
Now there is an ample evidence that diet has a profound effect on people’s immune system and disease susceptibility. We need to have balanced diet in the form of adequate calories, proteins and micronutrients like zinc, iron and vitamins A, E, B6, B12 and Vit. D.
Lots of studies has shown that Vitamin D deficient people are more prone to get severe COVID-19. Most of the asthmatics and COPD patients are on steroid inhalers and few of them with resistant asthma take oral steroids very frequently so here to take vitamin D supplements with calcium is mandatory.
Daily exercise with yoga practice makes a huge difference in anyone’s life. The patients suffering from COPD and Asthma usually have thick phlegm in their airway so they have the higher risk of getting COVID-19 infection. Clearing both upper and lower airways is extremely important. Here Breathing exercises like “Pranayam” from Yoga plays an important role in cleaning our windpipes and preventing any type of infection.
Fear and anxiety about an outbreak can be overwhelming. Keeping your mental health to the optimum is a challenge. In both Asthma and COPD respiratory symptoms can get aggravated with stress. Meditation can play a key role. Meditating for only 15 minutes in a day can keep you calm and would help you to fight with this menace of COVID-19 pandemic.
