Contents:
- Medical Video: What Causes Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)? – Manipal Hospital
- What is the difference between COPD and pneumonia?
- Definition of COPD and pneumonia
- Symptoms of COPD and pneumonia
- Causes of COPD and pneumonia
- Treatment of COPD and pneumonia
- Why are COPD patients at risk for pneumonia?
- What can be done to prevent pneumonia if I suffer from COPD?
Medical Video: What Causes Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)? – Manipal Hospital
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia are two very different conditions. However, there is a connection between the two. People with advanced COPD have a high risk of getting pneumonia. You are also more at risk of developing respiratory failure related to COPD exacerbations (flare-up) and pneumonia.
What is the difference between COPD and pneumonia?
If you compare these two conditions, you will see some differences. The biggest concern about COPD sufferers is that they are more susceptible to infections such as pneumonia.
A paper in the American Family Physician in the 2002 edition states that 70 to 75 percent of exacerbations of COPD are caused by bacterial infections such as Streptococcus pneumonia and Haemophilus influenza.
Definition of COPD and pneumonia
COPDis a group of diseases that damage the lungs and make it difficult to breathe, which reduces the supply of oxygen to the blood because:
- blocked airway due to inflammation (bronchitis)
- damaged air bag (emphysema)
Whereas pneumonia is a lung infection caused by bacteria.
Symptoms of COPD and pneumonia
Symptoms of COPD include:
- cough
- hard to breathe
- wheezing
- Asphyxiate
While the symptoms of pneumonia are usually:
- cough
- hard to breathe
- wheezing
- Asphyxiate
- fever
- shivering and trembling
- chest pain
If you suffer from COPD accompanied by pneumonia, you can experience extreme shortness of breath, very high fever, green, brown, or bleeding mucus.
Causes of COPD and pneumonia
Pneumonia is caused by bacteria, while COPD has several causes, namely:
- smoke
- offspring
- air pollution
- childhood infection
- inhalation injury
Treatment of COPD and pneumonia
COPD cannot be cured. Some of the following common treatments only aim to control the condition and prevent symptoms of recurrence:
- antibiotics
- dekongesti medicine
- oxygen therapy
- lifestyle changes: exercise, hydration
Whereas pneumonia can be cured with antibiotics and oxygen therapy.
Why are COPD patients at risk for pneumonia?
In patients with COPD, environmental factors can infect the damaged lungs very easily. That is why people with COPD often need annual vaccines to prevent pneumonia.
In advanced stage COPD, it is difficult to distinguish the symptoms of COPD that worsen with pneumonia because both are often very similar. More commonly seen in exacerbations of COPD and pneumonia are:
- inability to speak because of lack of air
- mucus color changes: green, brown, yellow, or bleeding
- high fever
- don't feel relieved like which is usually obtained after using COPD drugs
What can be done to prevent pneumonia if I suffer from COPD?
To prevent pneumonia, the first step is to stop smoking. This also includes breathing cigarette smoke, as well as steam or other gases that can irritate or damage the lungs.
If you suffer from COPD, you should ask your doctor about what vaccines you should receive. In addition to pneumonia vaccines, doctors may also recommend a flu vaccine. Of course, you still have to avoid triggers that can make your COPD worse. Even with COPD, you can exercise to maintain lung health. Following a healthy diet for COPD can help relieve symptoms.
Tell your doctor if there is a change in each symptom and look for emergency treatment if your medication no longer helps your symptoms, or if your symptoms are severe and shortness of breath that you feel makes it difficult to move.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
