Health: How To Manage Asthma During Coronavirus Outbreak

The world has come to realise that Coronavirus is a full blown disaster and its fast spread across countries makes it something that must be taken seriously, especially by people who have respiratory conditions, for instance, Asthma.
Coronavirus is characterised by dry cough, shortness of breath, runny nose in rare cases, sore throat, fever, tiredness and many more, all which may worsen your condition, so it’s important to keep taking the control medicines.
What Is Asthma
According to WHO, Asthma is a common lung condition caused by the swelling and narrowing of the tubes that carry air to and from the lungs, leading to sporadic breathing difficulties. It often starts in childhood, although it can also develop in adults, and affects people of all ages. It is the most common chronic disease among children worldwide, with about 235 million people currently living with asthma. Over 80% of deaths related to the condition occur in low-and lower-middle income countries.
Asthmatic Patients And The Risk Of Contracting Coronavirus
People of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV), however, older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus, according to WHO. This means, being asthmatic does not guarantee you will contract Coronavirus as it is only passed via droplets of an infected person. If you do not come in contact with an infected person or a droplet from them, you are free. But if you do, you will have more severe complications than someone who doesn’t have asthma.
Now that you know your risk level, How Do You Manage Asthma During Coronavirus Outbreak?
1. Ensure your stability: The best way for an asthmatic patient to stay healthy during this pandemic, and to recover if infected with COVID‐19, is to ensure their asthma is as stable as possible. Take your medications regularly and as normal and avoid attack triggers.
2. Keep an action plan intact: this is a document that is completed at your asthma review appointment. It reminds you of your everyday routine and what to take – in terms of your inhalers and any other add-on asthma medication you may have been prescribed – when you are feeling well and your asthma is well managed. It also tells you what to do if you start to feel more unwell with your condition, or indeed if you are having an asthma attack. You may know what and what off-hand but never trust that you will always remember.
3. Keep your inhalers intact: the same way people are rushing to get themselves face masks to prevent them from catching Coronavirus, so are they getting inhalers. This is likely to be because some people are stockpiling inhalers in the fear that they will need more if they become sick. You may need to join the league of them or if you have your home stocked, you are good to go. If you don’t want to do that, then you have to make the most of the one(s) you have through perfect techniques and ways of usage. Also, ensure you clean an store your inhalers well.4. Observe the safety precautions strictly: don’t put yourself at risk of contracting Coronavirus. Guard yourself jealously, do not shake, even your sibling or friend that has been out al day. Wash your hands regularly and once they are dirty, you touch a dirty surface, come in contact with people or dirty items such as rags and all. Keep social distance, very importantly, from people that have cough, are sneezing or generally feel unwell.
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5. Eat healthy: Eating fresh, nutritious foods may improve your overall health as well as your asthma symptoms. Though there are no specific diet recommended for asthma, there are some foods and nutrients that may help support lung function which include Vitamin D ( Vitamin D Council says that enough of this may help reduce attacks in children ages 6 to 15), Vitamin A, Beta carotene-rich vegetables, such as carrots and leafy greens and Magnesium-rich foods, such as spinach and pumpkin seeds. See more by clicking the link above.
6. Stay Calm: Coronavirus is not a death sentence, you can only contract it if you are exposed. So do not get yourself worked up and all anxious, dying in fear before contracting the virus. Just ensure you take heed of 1-5 above and relax your mind. Limit your exposure and control your reception of all you see on social media, feed yourself with information from reliable sources alone. Then, stay connected to friends and family and talking about your worries, while keeping social distance strictly.

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