Precautions for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in summer

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most common chronic respiratory disease with a high prevalence and heavy disease burden, posing a serious threat to the health of the people. The prevalence of COPD in adults aged 20 and above in my country is 8.6%, 13.7% for those aged 40 and above, and more than 27% for those aged 60 and above. The older the age, the higher the prevalence of COPD. The incidence is higher in northern China. Smoking, air pollution, low body weight, chronic cough in childhood, family history of respiratory diseases, and low education level are the main risk factors for COPD.

COPD is a disease caused by airflow obstruction that leads to chronic bronchitis and emphysema. When the condition worsens, it will develop into chronic diseases such as cor pulmonale or respiratory failure. Common symptoms include chronic cough, sputum, shortness of breath or dyspnea. The mortality rate caused by COPD is increasing day by day, so we should learn more about COPD. Let's take a look at what COPD patients need to pay attention to in summer.

Keep your lungs healthy

To keep our lungs healthy, we can try respiratory muscle exercises.

1. Flute-like breathing/pursed lip breathing. Method: The patient takes a slow, deep breath, then puckers his lips and exhales easily, with the ratio of inhalation to exhalation being 1:2 or 1:3. Do this 7-8 times per minute, twice a day, for 10-15 minutes each time.

2. Slow and deep breathing exercises.

3. Abdominal breathing exercise. The patient is required to move the abdominal wall forward and the ribs downward when inhaling. During abdominal breathing, the patient consciously changes the breathing pattern, increases abdominal movement, increases tidal volume, and reduces respiratory rate.

Pay attention to medication

Summer is the best time for rehabilitation treatment of COPD patients, especially in terms of medication. Even after the symptoms improve, the medication cannot be stopped because it can easily lead to major ups and downs in the condition, such as a sharp decline in lung function, symptom onset, etc. Therefore, it is recommended that patients adhere to drug treatment, especially inhaled drugs, such as Symbicort, Seretide, etc.

Dietary taboos

In addition to paying attention to medication, you should also pay attention to your daily diet. Patients can eat more protein and iron foods, such as lean meat, animal liver, tofu, soy milk, etc., which can enhance the patient's resistance and promote the repair of damaged tissues. Patients also need to supplement more vitamin A and vitamin C, such as pork liver, egg yolk, cod liver oil, grapefruit, tomatoes, etc., which can moisturize the lungs and fight inflammation. Patients can also eat more fungal foods appropriately to reduce the onset of bronchial asthma. In addition, patients are advised not to eat foods such as peppers, onions, and garlic that are easy to irritate the tracheal mucosa. These foods can easily aggravate symptoms such as coughing and asthma. Eating less or no seafood and gas-producing foods are not conducive to the treatment and recovery of COPD.

Quit smoking and keep indoor ventilation

The risk of COPD in smokers is 3-5 times that of non-smokers. At the same time, smoking can cause a decline in lung function, so COPD patients should quit smoking as soon as possible. In the hot summer, patients need to pay attention to indoor air circulation.

Avoid allergens

Patients with COPD should try to avoid allergens such as pollen, pets, irritating gases, etc. These allergens can easily irritate the bronchi and aggravate symptoms such as coughing and asthma.

In summary, because the symptoms of COPD patients are relatively mild in summer, it is the best season for lung rehabilitation and treatment, so patients need to pay attention to the above matters. In addition, if the condition worsens, they should go to the respiratory department for treatment in time.