Symptoms Of Pneumonia And Asthma

Singer Lata Mangeshkar Tested Covid

Famous singer Lata Mangeshkar has been tested positive for COVID-19. Her niece Rachana Shah has confirmed and told that she also has pneumonia infection. Even her symptoms are mild, due to her age factor she has been admitted to hospital. Currently she is being taken care of in the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai in Intensive Care Unit.

The variant of infection for COVID-19 has not yet been told. Padma Bhushan Singer Lata Mangeshkar has also suffered breathing problems in September 2019 as well. Pneumonia and COVID-19 together can be very problematic to health but hopefully everything would be fine.

How Can I Prevent Respiratory Infections

Infections like the flu are a major cause of asthma episodes or attacks. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , people with asthma are at higher risk for developing serious complications from the flu. Follow these steps to protect yourself and your loved ones from respiratory infections:

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for 20 seconds, especially after touching frequently used surfaces like doorknobs.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Get a yearly flu shot.
• Talk with your doctor about getting the pneumococcal shot. You should only need the shot once and a booster as needed.
• Stay away from people who are sick. If you have symptoms, stay home.
• Keep your breathing equipment clean. This includes your asthma inhaler, nebulizer and nebulizer tubing, and mouthpiece.
• Do not share your breathing equipment or medicines with others.

While COVID-19 is spreading, also follow these steps:

• Stay at least 6 feet from other people.
• Avoid large crowds.
• Wear a face mask.
• Travel only if necessary.

Its important to always keep your asthma under control. It is very important when youre sick. If your asthma is well-controlled when you get sick, you reduce your chances of having an asthma attack, having complications, or being hospitalized.

Lung Diseases: Types Causes Symptoms Prevention

Lungs are a pair of spongy air-filled organs that functions by expanding and relaxing thousands of times every day by bringing in oxygen and releasing out carbon dioxide. It is the primary and vital respiratory organ, so it is important to take care of our lungs. Lung diseases are one of the leading causes of death worldwide as the lungs are sensitive to various infections and diseases.

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Is Pneumonia Worse For People With Asthma

Even though asthma does not directly cause pneumonia, it can be worse for people with chronic lung diseases. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, pneumonia may trigger an asthma attack in some cases.

People who have asthma are also at a higher risk of complications from pneumonia. People with asthma already have sensitive airways. During an asthma attack, increased mucus, swelling and constriction of the airways develop. When you combine that with the inflammation from pneumonia, it can lead to severe complications.

If you have a history of asthma, it is essential to take certain precautions to avoid developing lung infections:

• Wash your hands frequently to avoid infection
• Get your flu shot every year
• Talk to your doctor about whether you need a pneumonia vaccine
• Stay away from people who are sick
• Donât smoke
• Follow your asthma treatment plan
• Avoid asthma triggers as much as possible, such as pollen and mold

Definition Of Analysed Variables

A hospitalisation with pneumonia was defined as a hospitalisation that included the ICD10 code J1018 as one of the diagnostic codes.

Current asthma was defined as answering yes to the question: Have you had an asthma attack during the last year? and/or Have you taken medication for asthma during the last year? . The number of asthma related symptoms was assessed where the symptoms included were wheezing, wheezing in combination with breathlessness, wheezing when not having a cold, waking up with tightness in the chest and waking up with attacks of shortness of breath. The recall period for all symptoms was 12months.

Nasal allergy was defined as answering yes to the question Do you have any nasal allergies including hay fever? Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux was defined as reported heartburn or belching at least one night per week . Habitual snoring was defined as loud and disturbing snoring at least 3 nights a week . Hypertension was defined as answering yes to the question Do you have hypertension? and heart disease was defined in a similar way. Diabetes was defined as answering yes to the question: Has a doctor told you that you have diabetes?

Use of inhaled corticosteroids was captured from the Prescribed Drug Registry. The number of years that the participants had collected at least one prescription was calculated where the maximum number of years was six. In a similar way information on the use of budesonide and fluticasone propionate .

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Can Asthma And Pneumonia Be Prevented

Asthma isnt preventable. Good disease management can cut down on asthma attacks, however.

You can get a vaccination for a type of bacterial pneumonia called pneumococcal pneumonia. Doctors recommend this vaccine for certain people at risk of developing the disease. Ask your doctor if you should get the vaccine.

You can also reduce your risk of getting pneumonia by:

• washing your hands regularly to help reduce the spread of germs
• not smoking, since tobacco use can make it more difficult for your lungs to fight off infection

Getting Diagnosed As An Adult Can Be More Difficult

There are several reasons that adults may be less likely to receive an accurate diagnosis, says pulmonologist Anthony Gerber, MD, a professor of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine at National Jewish Health and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Denver.

Some adults believe that they can’t get asthma if they’ve never had it before and so may be more prone to ignore or write off symptoms. It’s not uncommon for adults to have a chronic cough for months without considering it could be asthma, says Dr. Parikh.

Adults are also more likely to have other underlying conditions that can mask or complicate asthma symptoms. Those include heart disease, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD.

It’s not just the adults who are confused, though doctors often miss asthma symptoms in adults or misdiagnose other conditions as asthma.

“About one-third of the patients I see who have been diagnosed with severe asthma don’t really have asthma,” says Dr. Gerber. “Their symptoms are being caused by a different condition.”

For example, chest pain could be from gastroesophageal reflux disease or heart disease. A chronic cough could be due to vocal cord dysfunction.

“This leads to asthma being misdiagnosed in adults,” says Dr. Gerber. “I always recommend adults get diagnosed by a specialist.”

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How Are Asthma And Pneumonia Linked

Although asthma does not cause pneumonia directly if you have chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma, you are more at risk for developing pneumonia due to previous damage to the lungs or weakening of lung tissues. Furthermore, if you have asthma and get the flu, the condition could worsen compared to someone who does not have asthma. According to recent studies, those with asthma who get the flu have a higher risk of developing pneumonia as a complication. Inhaled corticosteroids are often used for the treatment of asthma. However, research has shown that these medicines can increase your risk of getting respiratory infections and pneumonia.

Can Asthma Cause Pneumonia

The short answer is, no. Not really, anyways. I always like to know ‘why’, though. Chances are, because youre reading this, you do too! So heres the ‘why’:

Asthma is not a virus, bacteria, or fungi rather, it is existing inflammation in the airways. Pneumonia is an infection that is the effect of one of the microbes previously mentioned. Therefore, asthma is not a cause of pneumonia. However, because asthma compromises the airways and can make one more susceptible to lung infections, it can be said that asthma increases the risk of contracting pneumonia.3

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Is Pneumococcal Pneumonia Dangerous For People With Asthma

People with asthma do need to be careful when it comes to Infections & Viruses.Pneumonia causes the air sacs in the lungs to become inflamed and fill with fluids and may increase mucus production. This can cause shortness of breath and lead to a worsening of asthma symptoms. If these symptoms get bad enough you may need to be hospitalized. And remember, pneumococcal pneumonia is fatal in some cases.

Even after fully recovering from pneumonia, some patients with asthma continue to have symptoms One study found that adults with asthma experienced an increase in asthma-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits up to a year after pneumonia.

Asthma Doesn’t Go Away On Its Own

It can be tempting to ignore these symptoms and hope it goes away on its own, but this isn’t something you should ignore, says Dr. Gerber.

Acute asthma attacks can damage the lungs over time, and can even be potentially life threatening

Therefore, it’s important to do everything you can to control asthma.

This starts with getting an accurate diagnosis, making a treatment plan with your doctor, and then doing your best to structure your daily life to avoid triggers and manage your symptoms.

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Video: Chest Infections And Asthma

0:00 Chest infections can be a real pain making you feel horribleand getting in the way of work and your social life. If you have asthma, they can also make your asthma symptoms worse.and getting in the way of work and your social life. If you have asthma, they can also make your asthma symptoms worse.Thats why the best thing you can do is to take your preventer inhaler, as its made to calm down the inflammation in your airways. Taking it daily as prescribed will reduce your asthma symptoms and make your chest infection a lot more bearableChest infections have similar symptoms to asthma like coughing, wheezing and breathlessness.This can make it hard to tell whether you have a chest infection or if your asthma symptoms are getting worse.The biggest indicator of a chest infection is a high temperature of 38 degrees or above. If you have some, or all, of these symptoms, it might be a chest infection:A temperature of 38 degrees or aboveA chesty wet coughLots of yellow or green phlegm that is thick, and may be smellyChest pain or discomfortA headacheAching musclesOr tirednessIf your chest infection is making your asthma symptoms worse. Sometimes your doctor might give you a course of steroids to treat the flare up.If your reliever medication isn’t lasting for four hoursIf your asthma is waking you at nightIf you feel like your chest infection has cleared up, but youre still having asthma symptoms, such as a dry cough or breathlessness.

How Can You Prevent Pneumonia

• If you smoke, try to quitsmoke damages the natural defenses in your lungs that protect you from infections
• Ask your health-care provider about getting the pneumococcal vaccination
• Get the flu vaccination each yearsince pneumonia can be a complication of getting the flu, the flu vaccine helps reduce the risk of both the flu and pneumonia
• Wash your hands regularlywhen soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol
• Stay away from people who are sick
• If you have an underlying condition that increases your risk of pneumonia , make sure its kept under control
• If you are at a higher risk from pneumonia and you get a cough, fever or shortness of breath, see your health-care provider right away.
• Regular exercise, adequate sleep and a healthy diet can strengthen your immune system.

Also Check: What Is The Difference Between Pneumonia And Pneumococcal Pneumonia

You Developed It For The First Time In Adulthood

Sometimes adults who have never had any symptoms before will develop asthma, and it can happen in your 40s, 50s, 60s or any age.

Known as adult-onset asthma, it may have no known cause, but most of the time the new asthma is triggered by an environmental irritant , a viral infection , or an allergy.

Women are more likely to develop asthma in adulthood, and there are certain things, like obesity, smoking, and stressful life events that are known risk factors for adult-onset asthma.

Signs Symptoms And Treatment Of Pneumonia

The weather is cold and the runny noses and coughing have started. When I worked in primary care pediatrics, I cared for many children who had a runny noses, coughing, congestion and fever. Most of the time, children that had viral illnesses in the upper respiratory tract and they got better quickly with supportive care. What about an infection in the lower respiratory tract? This is called pneumonia, which is when fluid and pus fill the lungs. The condition can be more serious than a regular cold.

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Side Effects Of Relievers And Preventers

Relievers are a safe and effective medicine, and have few side effects as long as they are not used too much. The main side effects include a mild shaking of the hands , headaches and muscle cramps. These usually only happen with high doses of reliever inhaler and usually only last for a few minutes.

Preventers are very safe at usual doses, although they can cause a range of side effects at high doses, especially with long-term use.

The main side effect of preventer inhalers is a fungal infection of the mouth or throat . You may also develop a hoarse voice and sore throat.

Using a spacer can help prevent these side effects, as can rinsing your mouth or cleaning your teeth after using your preventer inhaler.

Your doctor or nurse will discuss with you the need to balance control of your asthma with the risk of side effects, and how to keep side effects to a minimum.

Melatonin Sleep Hormone Exacerbates Asthma Symptoms

Melatonin, a sleep hormone, was discovered to be responsible for the aggravation of asthma. The hormone, which is commonly used as an oral medicine to treat insomnia for a brief period of time, acts by promoting bronchoconstriction.

Melatonin inhibits the relaxing action of a bronchodilator via activating the melatonin MT2 receptor protein, according to the findings of the study. The expression of this receptor was discovered in the smooth muscle of the human airway. They were able to show that activating this receptor with larger dosages of melatonin caused the bronchus to contract. Furthermore, the substance inhibited the relaxing effects of bronchodilators that stimulate beta-adrenoreceptors.

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How To Tell You Have Asthma

In this section: Diagnosis and Lung Testing | How To Tell You Have Asthma | Your Healthcare Team

Asthma is a complex disease to diagnose, and only a healthcare professional is able to make a proper diagnosis.

If you are concerned that you may have asthma, contact your healthcare provider. In order to confirm an asthma diagnosis, your healthcare provider will take into account your medical and family history, allergies, and conduct lung function testing such as spirometry.

Chronic Infection And Asthma

Chronic M pneumoniae respiratory infections have been hypothesised to play a part in asthma. In humans, M pneumoniae is reported to commonly be detectable by culture of the respiratory tract up to several months after recovery from acute pneumonia. Even after treatment with effective antibiotics, M pneumoniae can still be cultured from respiratory secretions. Pulmonary structural abnormalities suggestive of small airways obstruction were observed 12years after pneumonia due to M pneumoniae, with considerably increased frequency as compared with controls. Persistence of infection with this organism results in decreased expiratory flow rates and increased airways hyperresponsiveness in individuals without asthma. A possible mechanism is that the organism is difficult to eradicate, as macrolides are bacteriostatic, which results in the chronic state of infection.

Mok et al, also showed an impairment in pulmonary function in 50 children with a history of M pneumoniae respiratory tract infection. The maximum expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity was markedly reduced in the group who had a history of M pneumoniae infection and did not change with inhalation of a helium oxygen mixture, suggesting small airways obstruction. These tests were performed from 1.5 to 9.5years after the infection, suggesting that M pneumoniae infection may impair pulmonary function despite lack of symptoms and underlying lung disease.

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Coronavirus Update: How To Contact A Gp

It’s still important to get help from a GP if you need it. To contact your GP surgery:

• visit their website

Treatment will depend on the cause of your chest infection.

It will either be caused by:

• a virus this usually clears up by itself after a few weeks and antibiotics will not help
• bacteria a GP may prescribe antibiotics

Antibiotics are only used to treat bacterial chest infections. They’re not used for treating viral chest infections, like flu or viral bronchitis. This is because antibiotics do not work for viral infections.

A sample of your mucus may need to be tested to see what’s causing your chest infection.

Check If You Have A Chest Infection

Chest infections often follow colds or flu.

The main symptoms are:

• a chesty cough you may cough up green or yellow mucus
• wheezing and shortness of breath
• chest pain or discomfort
• aching muscles
• tiredness

These symptoms can be unpleasant, but they usually get better on their own in about 7 to 10 days.

The cough and mucus can last up to 3 weeks.

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