Now that winter seems to have arrived, the NHS in Lincolnshire is reminding people who have Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that cold weather spells can cause breathing problems for them in particular.
COPD can affect many aspects of a person’s life, although there are things you can do to help reduce its impact.
“The starting point is that it’s important for anyone with COPD to take good care of themselves,” explains Dr Sunil Hindocha, GP and Medical Director, NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board.
“It is especially important to remember to take any medicines you have been prescribed, including using your inhaler if you have one, as this can help prevent bad flare ups. If you smoke, you should stop. Exercising regularly can also help improve your COPD symptoms and quality of life, as can maintaining a healthy weight.”
Always important, but particularly during the winter months, is getting vaccinated, since having COPD can put a significant strain on your body and mean you are more vulnerable to infections, and keeping an eye on the weather.
“Anyone with COPD should have an annual flu vaccination, as well as the one-off pneumococcal vaccination – the latter will help protect you against serious illnesses like pneumonia and meningitis, and, like the flu vaccination, is recommended for people at higher risk including adults aged 65 and over,” adds Sunil.
“In addition, having COPD puts you in a clinical risk group as far as Covid-19 is concerned, so my advice would be to have a Covid-19 vaccination if you haven’t already done so this autumn/winter, bearing in mind the vaccination programme will end in three weeks on 20th December.”
You can get a flu vaccination and/or a pneumococcal vaccination at your GP practice or a local community pharmacy that offers a vaccination service.
Eligible people can book an appointment for a Covid-19 vaccination online using the NHS website, or by downloading the NHS app, or by calling 119 for free, and may be offered a flu vaccination at the same time. Alternatively, flu vaccinations can be booked by searching online for a local pharmacy.
“You should also keep a close eye on the weather now that it’s getting colder – check the forecast and make sure you have enough of your medicine in case your COPD symptoms get temporarily worse.”
Other things should be avoided if possible to reduce COPD symptoms, including dusty places fumes, smoke, air freshener sprays or plug-ins, strong smelling cleaning products (unless you have plenty of ventilation), hair spray and perfume.
“Most people with COPD have regular contact with their care team at their GP practice, to monitor their condition. If your COPD symptoms get suddenly worse or you develop new symptoms between check-ups, please contact your care team or your GP,” adds Sunil.
You can find more information on COPD on the NHS website. In addition, Asthma and Lung UK has some helpful advice on its website.