Are asthmatics more prone to chest infections in the winter time or can anyone g!
Question: I am asthmatic and can get chest infections all year round. Anyone can get them but asthmatic are more prone to picking them up more oftener.
Answers: I am asthmatic and can get chest infections all year round. Anyone can get them but asthmatic are more prone to picking them up more oftener.
My brother had asthma and you know he was always more prone to chest infections during the winter as opposed to the rest of us so i would have to say maybe so.
A lot of my friends have had chest infections this winter, more than normal but I am sure to get one as I am asthmatic anyway.
I personally believe so because asthma causes a weakness in your chest area which in turn will lower your immune system and leave you wide open to chest infections.
I presume you are the asthmatic, just to let you know the breathing excercises in yoga are amazing for strengthening your lungs and improving asthma over the long term. I am not sure if this is of any interest to you but I get some great results from the asthmatic children I teach.
I feel for you if you are contracting chest infections all the time. Try to steer clear of dairy and wheat around these times as they are mucus forming which will only serve to make things worse.
good luck
YW
Yes more prone to picking them up, my stepdaughter is Asthmatic and has a flu and a pheunomia jab around october....
Asthmatics are prone to more lung infections period. inter is the most common time for them due to the severe cold weather and the illnesses spread around. It also depends on what triggers the asthma. If cold weather bother the asthmatic then it would be normal to get more infections during the winter.
My partner is a severe asthmatic and he gets more chest infections during the winter, in fact one after the other. Every time he gets a cold it leads to a chest infection but anyone can get them.
I am asthmatic, and it don't have to be winter to get a chest infection, I got one in August last year while on holiday. Trying to walk up 199 steps in Whitby... No joke when you can't get your breath.
Contrary to popular belief, EVERYONE is at higher risk of developing a respiratory tract infection during the winter, not just asthmatics. There are several reasons for this. Recent studies have shown that the optimal temperature for some respiratory viruses is approx. 40 F. Since they survive longer in cold weather, they have a greater chance of infecting others. Also, during the winter, people tend to stay indoors. Lastly, cold temperatures have also been shown to temporarily suppress the immune system. These factors all contribute to an increased rate of respiratory illnesses during the winter.
Asthmatics experience breathing problems because their airways are hyperreactive and tend to narrow. This is what occurs during an asthma attack. Unfortunately, constricted airways may prevent secretions from being removed properly (i.e. through coughing). The combination of constricted airways and uncleared secretions may create a set of conditions that promote infections, resulting in a "chest cold."
Paradoxically, patients with moderate-severe asthma often require treatment with inhaled steroids. One side effect of steroids is immune suppression. There is limited evidence that their use may increase the risk of developing pneumonia. However, since the risks of an asthma attack generally outweigh this theoretical risk of pneumonia, it is recommended to continue inhaled steroid use if it helps control asthma symptoms. However, it never hurts to *gently* remind your doctor to reduce the dose, if possible.
they can be -if this is a trigger.
It's an interesting question. We are not sure if asthmatics are more prone to chest infection as such. We certainly see many asthmatic patients with chest infections and worsening of their asthma symptoms, especially in the winter months, but there are more bugs around at this time of year generally. For many of those patients chest infection is a trigger for their asthma. It may be that because of the hypersensitivity of the lungs in asthma patients, when they get a chest infection it can affect them much more than patients without asthma.
Also, the uptake of flu vaccination is not as good in asthma patients as it is in other at-risk groups such as the elderly.