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COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) - Prevention
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) Guide
- Topic Overview
- Health Tools
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Increases Your Risk
- When to Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Prevention
- Ongoing Concerns
- Living With COPD
- Medications
- Surgery
- Other Treatment
- Other Places To Get Help
- Related Information
- References
- Credits
Don't smoke
The best way to keep COPD from starting or from getting worse is to not smoke.
There are clear benefits to quitting, even after years of smoking. When you stop smoking, you slow down the damage to your lungs. For most people who quit, loss of lung function is slowed to the same rate as a nonsmoker's.
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How COPD Medications Interact With Foods and Nutrients
Many individuals with COPD maintain near-normal breathing and an excellent quality of life. They do this by using bronchodilator medicines that relax smooth muscles and open airways. They use anti-inflammatories to reduce the inflammatory response. And they take diuretics that prevent fluid build up.These medicines are quite effective in improving the symptoms of COPD. However, all of these drugs can increase or decrease your nutritional needs. In addition, the foods you consume can interact...
Read the How COPD Medications Interact With Foods and Nutrients article > >
Stopping smoking is especially important if you have low levels of the protein alpha-1 antitrypsin. People who have an alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency may lower their risk for severe COPD if they get regular shots of alpha-1 antitrypsin. Family members of someone with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency should be tested for the condition.
Avoid bad air
Other airway irritants (such as air pollution, chemical fumes, and dust) also can make COPD worse, but they are far less important than smoking in causing the disease.
Get vaccines
Flu vaccines
If you have COPD, you need to get a flu vaccine every year. When people with COPD get the flu, it often turns into something more serious, like pneumonia. A flu vaccine can help prevent this from happening.
Also, getting regular flu vaccines may lower your chances of having COPD flare-ups.7
Pneumococcal vaccine
People with COPD often get pneumonia. Getting a shot can help keep you from getting very ill with pneumonia. People younger than 65 usually need only one shot. But doctors sometimes recommend a second shot for some people who got their first shot before they turned 65. Talk with your doctor about whether you need a second shot. Two different types of pneumococcal vaccines are recommended for people ages 65 and older.
Pertussis vaccine
Pertussis (also called whooping cough) can increase the risk of having a COPD flare-up.8 So making sure you are current on your pertussis vaccinations may help control COPD.
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