Prevention of COPD

2015-03-04 08:37 PM
Healthy eating is important for maintaining a strong immune system, which reduces your risk of developing respiratory infections that can lead to worsening of your symptoms.

Biên tập viên: Trần Tiến Phong

Đánh giá: Trần Trà My, Trần Phương Phương

There are a number of steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing COPD. These include:

Giving up smoking

Smoking is the most common cause of COPD. By giving up smoking, you can reduce your chances of developing COPD even if you have been a smoker for many years. If you have already developed COPD, giving up smoking can slow down the progress of your disease. Your GP can offer advice and guidance to help you give up smoking.

Avoiding inhalation of lung irritants

Other lung irritants, such as chemical fumes and dust, have been linked to the development of COPD. By cutting down your exposure to these irritants, you can reduce your risk of developing COPD.

Taking regular exercise

Exercise can help to strengthen your lung (pulmonary) muscles and improve your breathing. Exercise can also help you to lose weight, which will reduce your breathlessness. Before undertaking a physical exercise programme, you should consult your GP who will be able to advise you on the most appropriate programme to suit your condition.

Eating healthily

Healthy eating is important for maintaining a strong immune system, which reduces your risk of developing respiratory infections that can lead to worsening of your symptoms. Maintaining a healthy weight is also important when you are at risk of developing COPD. Being underweight can lead to wasting of your pulmonary muscles and diaphragm, whereas being overweight can exert more pressure on your heart and lungs and lead to breathing problems.

Vaccinations

Respiratory infections such as influenza and pneumonia can lead to symptoms of COPD. Therefore, if you are at risk of developing COPD, you should consider receiving vaccinations against influenza and pneumonia. These may include an annual influenza vaccination and a one-off vaccination against pneumonia. Your GP will be able to advise you on vaccinations available to you.

Bài viết cùng chuyên mục

Preventing hepatitis B or C

The viruses are not spread through casual contact, such as holding hands, sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses, breastfeeding, kissing, hugging, coughing, or sneezing.

Preventing hepatitis A

The virus may spread quickly through day care centers and other places where people are in close contact.

Preventing chronic kidney disease

Smoking increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks or strokes, and it can increase the likelihood that any existing kidney problems will get worse.

Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections in Women

Drink more water. Start with 1 extra glass with each meal. If the urine appears any darker than a very pale yellow, this means not enough liquid is being ingested; increase the fluid intake.

Preventing kidney stones

To avoid developing a uric acid stone, you should reduce the amount of meat, poultry and fish in your diet. You may also be prescribed medication to change the levels of acid or alkaline in your urine.

Preventing atherosclerosis

There are two types of fat – saturated and unsaturated. Avoid foods that contain saturated fats because they will increase the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood.

Preventing congestive heart failure

Congestive heart failure always occurs within the setting of cardiac disease. Dysfunction of the left ventricle usually precedes the development of noticeable symptoms.

High Blood Pressure Prevention

For some people, eating too much salt (sodium chloride) and other forms of sodium causes the body to hold onto excess fluid, which increases blood pressure.

Preventing Silicosis

If you use a tight-fitting respirator for your particular work, you cannot have a beard or mustache. Beards and mustaches keep the respirator from sealing to your face.

Tuberculosis Prevention

The tuberculosis vaccine, known as bacille Calmette Guérin may prevent the spread of tuberculosis and tuberculous meningitis in children

Preventing lung cancer

There is strong evidence to suggest that regular exercise can lower the risk of developing lung cancer and other types of cancer.

Preventing respiratory tract infections (RTIs)

Having a flu vaccination every year just before winter can help to protect you from getting flu. Each year the flu vaccine will be different, and will contain the most common strains of flu virus that are causing infection.

Preventing pneumonia

Excessive and prolonged alcohol misuse is known to weaken your lungs natural defences against infections, making you more vulnerable to pneumonia.

How to prevent and treat bronchitis

Prescription cough medicine may help control your cough, unfortunately, over the-counter cough medicines do not reliably help a bronchitis cough

Prevention of Allergies and Asthma in Children

Infants at risk for developing food allergy are those with a biological parent or sibling with existing, or history of, allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, or food allergy.

Preventing heart disease

There are two types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. You should avoid food containing saturated fats because these will increase the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood.