Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and COVID-19

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic tends to have a more severe clinical picture in the elderly and in patients with chronic diseases, one of which is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Around 2%-3% of patients infected with coronavirus have had the diagnosis of COPD; the critical care, intubation requirement, and mortality rate have been higher among this group of patients with the development of hypoxemia. Exacerbation and COVID-19 pneumonia are two differential diagnoses in patients with COPD; the fever among the symptoms, lymphopenia among the laboratory findings, and typical radiological findings in thoracic tomography of patients may be helpful in the diagnosis of COVID-19. The stabilization of the disease is important in the follow-up of patients with COPD during this pandemic; the continuation of maintenance treatment of patients has been accepted as the main strategy. Droplet and contact transmissions should be decreased, and basic hygiene and nutritional rules should be followed in the COPD patient group in which the risk of infection development is high. There are various opinions on the administration of treatment through nebulizers during the pandemic; the use of inhaler devices is the safer and recommended method. Since noninvasive mechanical ventilators may increase the risk of contamination, they are not included among the routine treatment recommendations for patients with COPD.