Risk of infectious diseases in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

From a professional perspective, can the Associate Professor share which infectious diseases are common in the elderly? And does the burden of disease tend to increase as we age?

- Older people are at no less risk of infectious diseases than young people and children, and are even at higher risk. Infectious diseases commonly found in the elderly include shingles, flu, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, and tetanus.

According to age, organs and parts of the body go through the aging process, including the immune system.

In addition, the elderly experience a long period of exposure to risk factors for bacterial and viral infections. In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, diabetes or cardiovascular disease, the risk of infectious diseases can be even two to three times, or more. The use of medications, such as immunosuppressants, increases the risk of infectious diseases in the elderly.

Why do patients with improved nutrition need to pay attention to the prevention of shingles? What does this mean for their health and quality of life?

- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a fairly common respiratory disease, characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms (difficulty breathing, cough, phlegm) and acute cases due to abnormal conditions of the airway (brust inflammation, bronchitis) or duodenum, causing persistent and often worsening airway obstruction. BPTNMT is caused by risk factors such as cigarette smoke, tobacco, air pollution and smoke from household fuels.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is one of the chronic underlying diseases that increases the risk of shingles and many other infectious diseases, due to immune changes in patients with chronic respiratory diseases. This risk increases after age 50.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease when suffering from shingles not only experience common acute symptoms such as pain, skin whirlwinds, but are also at high risk of eye complications or post-zingle neuropathy, in some cases, they may experience rare dangerous complications such as stroke or heart attack.

zona also has a negative impact on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, making their condition worse. American resuscitation research on BPTNMT patients with a history of shingles showed that 25.5% of patients showed increased symptoms of difficulty breathing, affecting sleep and daily activities, reducing the quality of life of patients. In particular, shingles can increase the risk of acquirements in patients with improved nutrition and dialysis by 12%, causing economic burden and examination and emergency examination.

According to the Associate Professor, what are the effective measures to prevent infectious diseases, especially for high-risk groups?

- First of all, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease need to build and maintain a healthy lifestyle, avoid risk factors such as smoking, exposure to dust or alcohol consumption. In addition, a diet suitable for your body's health, including adequate vitamins, minerals, and protein also helps ensure a healthy body and a good immune system to fight disease.

Effectively preventing common infectious diseases will help improve the quality of life. Therefore, patients should proactively see a doctor early to receive advice on disease prevention measures.