Asthma and COPD are two common breathing disorders. While both problems may seem similar in some ways, they are very different conditions. If you find that you are having trouble breathing when you aren’t suffering from a cold or the flu, it is important to see your doctor to discover what is causing the problem—is it asthma, COPD, or something else? Without a proper diagnosis, you won’t be able to treat it and relieve the symptoms. So, take a deep breath and read on.
ASTHMA
Asthma is a condition that happens when the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs become swollen, making it harder for air to flow through them. It is a serious problem that doesn’t go away. Once you develop asthma, you are likely to have it for the rest of your life. Even when it isn’t producing any symptoms, it’s still there in the background.
Symptoms can vary from person to person, but common symptoms include:
- chest tightness or pain
- coughing
- shortness of breath
- wheezing (a whistling or squeaky sound when breathing)
There is no cure for asthma, but it can be managed and the symptoms reduced. Treatment usually begins with learning to recognize the things that trigger your asthma attacks and avoiding those triggers. It is also important to keep track of how well you breathe to make sure the medications you take are keeping your symptoms under control.
There are two main types of asthma medications. One type is long-term asthma control medications such as corticosteroids that are usually taken daily and help prevent asthma symptoms on a day-to-day basis and reduce the likelihood that you’ll have an asthma attack. The other type is quick relief (rescue) medications called bronchodilators like salbutamol or ipratropium bronchodilators that open up your airways for rapid relief of symptoms during an asthma attack. If your asthma is triggered by allergies, medicines like antihistamines may also be part of your treatment plan.
It is important to follow your asthma treatment plan carefully and to take all of your medicines exactly as instructed, because uncontrolled asthma can have serious implications for your health. Over time, it can do much harm, including damaging your lungs, increasing your risk of developing pneumonia, or leading to complications during pregnancy.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory lung disease that interferes with air flow from the lungs. Symptoms include:
- chest tightness
- cough
- difficulty breathing
- frequent respiratory infections
- lack of energy
- mucus production
- shortness of breath
- swelling in the ankles, legs, or feet
- unintended weight loss
- wheezing
It is typically caused by long-term exposure to irritating gases, dusts or chemicals including tobacco smoke as the most significant risk factor. If you smoke, the best thing you can do to treat your COPD is to quit. Your London Drugs pharmacists can advise you on products and tips that can help you quit smoking successfully.
Medications are also available to help control the symptoms, slow the progression of the disease, and reduce your risk of complications from COPD. Some of these medicines are inhaled; others are taken by mouth.
Uncontrolled COPD, can lead to many serious complications, including:
- depression
- heart problems like heart disease or heart attacks
- high blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood to your lungs
- lung cancer
- respiratory infections
- chronic bronchitis
- emphysema
MEDICINES & VACCINES
While some medicines used to treat asthma and COPD are taken by mouth, others are inhaled.
Many of these medications are breathed in using a small hand-held device called an inhaler. Some inhalers have dry powder to inhale using the power of your own inhaled breath, others utilize a propellant gas to spray the medication into the mouth to be inhaled into the lungs. One problem with spray-type inhalers is that they require the user to spray the device while at the same time inhaling the medication. This takes coordination to be effective. A tube-like spacer device is an effective way to simply deliver spray-type inhaled medications to your lungs. The inhaler attaches to one end of the spacer and a dose is sprayed into the tube. Then the user takes a couple of slow deep breaths from the opposite end of the tube to carry the medication to the lungs. Spacers are available in a variety of sizes and can include a face mask if needed. They are covered by most insurance plans. Ask your pharmacist to show you one.
Respiratory infections can cause special problems for people with asthma and COPD, so being vaccinated against these diseases is particularly important. Vaccines are available to provide protection against preventable respiratory diseases such as influenza (the flu), pneumonia, and COVID-19. And now a new vaccine has recently become available to provide protection against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a major cause of lower respiratory tract illness. RSV vaccines are indicated for adults 60 years and over and for pregnant individuals during weeks 32 to 36 of pregnancy to pass immunity to their unborn babies
If you have asthma or COPD, speak with your doctor or London Drugs pharmacist about how to ensure you are getting the full medication dose from your inhalers and about which vaccinations you should have to help prevent serious illness. You can also try our free online vaccination quiz at londondrugs.com/vaccine-screening to find out what other vaccines you should consider.
