Key takeaways
- When living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), you can help prevent lung infections by quitting smoking and avoiding irritants such as secondhand smoke and strong scents.
- It’s important to get vaccinated against infections such as pneumonia and RSV, since COPD makes you more likely to contract these conditions and to experience complications from them.
- You can talk with your doctor about strategies for quitting smoking and healthy lifestyle habits that can better prepare your body to fight off infections.
The most important lifestyle change by a wide margin would be to quit smoking. Active smoking is a huge driver of exacerbations (symptom flare-ups) and infections in COPD. This cannot be stressed enough.
Another change you can make is to avoid other irritants, such as secondhand smoke, chemicals, and dust. I’d recommend wearing a mask when cutting grass and avoiding campfire smoke and the like.
Use hand sanitizer after interacting, such as after shaking others’ hands at church or touching shared condiments on a restaurant table. Avoid others when you know they have a cold.
Vaccines are of great importance to help prevent illness from some common infections that people with COPD are more prone to get. People with COPD are also more likely to experience complications if they get these infections. It’s important to obtain vaccines for conditions such as pneumonia, influenza, RSV, and COVID.
Cigarette smoking is the number one trigger to avoid. Other common irritants include secondhand smoke, dust, air pollution, and chemicals. Strong smells, such as those that occur in stores selling heavily scented bath and body products, should also be avoided.
Extreme weather conditions (very hot and dry or very cold) are also common triggers that irritate the lungs in people with COPD.
There are some COPD medications that can decrease the risk of COPD exacerbations. However, any medication will have pros and cons. If you experience any COPD exacerbations, it’s best to discuss with your doctor which medications, if any, might help reduce the risk of future exacerbations.
If you are still smoking but want to quit, I encourage you to ask your doctor how they can help. The success rate in quitting smoking is much higher with help.
Other questions to ask include what type of exercise, diet, and weight to maintain to manage your COPD and any other conditions you may have (diabetes, coronary disease, etc.). Although leading a healthier lifestyle may not directly prevent you from getting a lung infection, your body will be far better prepared to put up a fight against an infection.
Thomas Johnson is a physician assistant who specializes in pulmonology and sleep medicine. He has been a full-time practitioner since 2004. He treats many diseases, including asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, and narcolepsy. He is part of a large group practice in northwestern Pennsylvania.