COVID-19 and lung disease

[rebecpar]

What are you nurses who are on the front lines seeing with patients who have asthma and Covid-19? Are there generally poor outcomes In that population or is it COPD that’s more of a concern? And you nurses with asthma: are you changing your medication regimen during this outbreak to maximize your lung health (I.e. changing your maintenance inhaler usage, etc.)?

[moriahcat]

I wish I could answer your question, but I am not licensed in anything.

With that, the best recommendation I could make would be to speak with your own doctor, because every person with asthma/COPD is going to be different.

For what it's worth, in my own care and from my own doctor's advice, we had crafted an "asthma/cruddy lung action plan", and the only thing really changing in what I have to do on my end is schedule a tele-visit vs an in-person visit if my symptoms are not ER-level severe. He may not be able to listen to my lungs with a stethescope, but he will be able to gauge my breathing by listening to me speak.

And what is "ER-level severe" according to your doctor may be different than what mine says it is for me, given that I have a home nebulizer so can actually do most of the treatment an urgent care facility would do for an acute asthma attack at home.

I'm truthfully more scared of Pollen-20 and a related exacerbation getting me sick enough to take up a bed needed by a Covid-19 patient, so I am taking all my medications as instructed, monitoring my peak flow, and trying to reduce contact with people & pollen.

There's a great thread started a few days ago by MuroRN about what she's seeing, and you might see if your question is answered there.

[zephyr9]

Could some critical care or pulmonology folks weigh in on this? I have asthma and COPD. There have been some employees at my job who tested positive, but I was not exposed to them directly. I take all precautions.