[Opinion] On COVID-19 and Asthma·Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Myeongkwon Kim, Adjunct Professor at Seoyeong University (Former Director of the Seogu Health Center, Gwangju Metropolitan City)

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Korea has reached over 17,000, with 230 deaths among them.

The government is reportedly engaged in in-depth discussions on whether to shift from social distancing to everyday quarantine measures, as the spread appears to be somewhat slowing down.

First of all, Korea has been exemplary in proactively testing for COVID-19, implementing preventive measures, and treating infected patients, earning global admiration. We deeply bow our heads in gratitude to all those responsible for quarantine efforts.

Currently, COVID-19 is like a wildfire; we cannot be complacent just because the major flames have been controlled.

It is now the time for society as a whole to make efforts to carefully manage the remaining embers so they do not flare up into a large fire again.

To this end, more attention and practice in thoroughly maintaining personal hygiene are necessary, as neglecting the embers could cause the flames of COVID-19 to grow again, which is worrisome.

Recently, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency classified smokers as a high-risk group related to COVID-19. As is well known, smoking is a major cause of respiratory and lung diseases and is widely recognized as a lifestyle disease.

COVID-19 also causes fatal damage to the respiratory system and lungs, and in severe cases, precious lives can be lost, leading some to refer to it as the third world war for humanity.

In this way, appropriate preventive management of respiratory and lung diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic is of utmost importance.

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are diseases that significantly impair quality of life due to symptoms such as cough, sputum, frequent sneezing, and labored breathing. They are generally known to result from the interaction of external factors such as smoking, dust, air pollution, socioeconomic status, respiratory infections, and host factors including age, airway hyperresponsiveness, abnormal lung development, and genetics.

Moreover, elderly smokers may be even more vulnerable to asthma and COPD.

Typically, asthma is characterized by airway hypersensitivity causing airway obstruction, severe coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, and chest pain. COPD causes inflammation of the alveoli such as pneumonia, leading to fibrosis from bronchitis and alveolar destruction, making breathing difficult even with minimal exertion.

Those experiencing such symptoms should not be complacent even if COVID-19 appears to be somewhat subsiding.

About 5% of asthma patients and 20% of COPD patients exhibit overlapping characteristics and must receive medical consultation.

First, it is never advisable to endure symptoms thinking they will improve soon. Smokers should quit immediately, get sufficient rest and sleep, maintain proper nutrition, and receive pneumococcal vaccination.

If quitting smoking is difficult, use the smoking cessation clinics at public health centers. Since public health centers also conduct atopy and asthma management programs, it is advisable to manage these conditions through pulmonary function tests and other measures.

Additionally, COPD treatments are available in forms such as nebulizer inhalation and oral inhalers, showing great efficacy in disease management.

Furthermore, to avoid COVID-19 infection, it is essential to recognize that strict cough etiquette and personal hygiene form the foundation. If asthma or COPD is suspected due to symptoms like difficulty breathing, one should promptly seek medical care at a public health center or nearby medical institution and not neglect treatment and management.

As the spread of COVID-19 somewhat slows, those with underlying conditions such as asthma and COPD must not become complacent in health management. Negligence could lead to increased risk of infection and resurgence of COVID-19. Therefore, this is a time to pay even closer attention to health.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.