public health measures used to slow the spread of covid-19 also helped people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) breathe a little easier, according to a new study that found hospitalizations for the lung disease dropped by 53 per cent during the pandemic.
the research, conducted at the university of maryland school of medicine (umsom) and published in
the american journal of medicine
, attributed the decreased need for medical attention to a vast reduction in the prevalence of influenza and other seasonal viruses that can trigger copd.
“our study shows there’s a silver lining to the behaviour changes beyond protecting against covid-19,”
said robert m. reed
, senior author of the study and professor of medicine at umsom. “if we completely eliminate masks and distancing during cold and flu season, we’ll allow all those viruses that have been effectively suppressed to come raging back. there could be a lot of illness.”
around two million canadians are living with copd, a chronic, inflammatory disease that obstructs the flow of air from the lungs,
according to the public health agency of canada
. the disease, which occurs more commonly in people suffering from other chronic conditions (such as diabetes and hypertension), is primarily caused by smoking tobacco or prolonged secondhand or passive exposure to tobacco smoke. emphysema and chronic bronchitis — two conditions that generally occur in tandem — are the biggest contributors to copd. people who suffer from copd can experience difficulty breathing, wheezing and a persistent cough in addition to an increased risk of other serious conditions, such as heart disease and lung cancer.