Today there are very few people who pay due attention to their health. And, in fact, this is not good. Despite all the achievements of modern medicine, pneumonia is still not easy to treat. It is difficult to respond to drugs, and the number of deaths remains quite high. One of the factors leading to an adverse outcome is smoking. Can I smoke with pneumonia? How will this affect the speed of recovery? We’ll try to figure this out.
How does nicotine affect health?
This issue should be given special attention. It has long been proven that smoking is one of the factors that cause lung irritation.
The body can respond to the use of harmful substances as follows:
- The mucous layer of the alveoli becomes thinner. To reduce the consequences of this effect, it is necessary after each smoked cigarette to walk in the fresh air for half an hour.
- Facilitate access to bacteria. They can penetrate the body not only through the oral cavity, but also through the nasopharynx. Therefore, smoking in crowded places or near hospitals and clinics is not allowed in any case.
- Immunity is significantly weakened. As a result of smoking, the human body ceases to be naturally saturated with vitamins and other useful elements.
These complications help to understand why you can not smoke with pneumonia. This is the main contraindication for impaired pulmonary function.
Risk group
There are a number of factors that play a decisive role in the development of pneumonia. These include congenital malformations, hypovitaminosis, weakened immunity, malnutrition, the presence of chronic respiratory diseases, heart defects and heart failure. But one of the most important prerequisites is smoking. A bad habit has a negative effect on the patient's condition.
How to give up smoking?
So how to do it right? Can I smoke with pneumonia? Qualified doctors around the world here give a definite answer - no. The patient must definitely give up addiction. The main thing is to do it right. Too sharp rejection of addiction can cause great harm to the body, and too slow, as an option, will not have the desired effect. It is best to consult your health care provider when getting rid of a bad habit. A specialist will help to develop an individual plan to combat destructive activities.
Standard smoking cessation scheme
What is she like? The very first thing that doctors recommend doing is to reduce the number of cigarettes smoked per day by 30%. Along with this, you can carry out several procedures that help cleanse the lung area. These include a sauna and a bathhouse. Another good habit that experts recommend is long walks in the fresh air.
After some time, the number of cigarettes smoked must again be reduced by 30%. In this case, try to strictly follow the rules of personal hygiene. Other actions will depend only on how the body responds. Chronic smokers usually experience a lot of mucus. Sometimes there is a need for inpatient treatment. In this case, smoking will have to be completely ruled out.
The first two weeks during smoking cessation are considered the most difficult. Already after the first two hours after the last puff, signs of withdrawal may appear. A person becomes more aggressive and irritable. It is important in this difficult period to provide a person with psychological support. Hobbies and exercise help you get distracted. Some advise drinking more water and chewing gum.
If you can’t completely abandon the addiction yourself, consult a narcologist. He may write you money to quell addiction. The course of taking drugs can be from several months to six months.
Treatment process
What is its feature? The smoker's body is usually harder to recover from pneumonia.
There are even a number of contraindications for lovers of the considered bad habit:
- It is not recommended to use drugs that aggravate the work of the nasopharynx and bronchi. These include mucolytic agents and other vasodilator drugs.
- Smoking often causes an acute allergic reaction. The smoker's body perceives some allergens contained in separate groups of drugs more strongly. For this reason, it is recommended to periodically take blood tests. This will allow you to control the level of individual components.
- In some cases, it is undesirable to wash with cold water or take a bath. As a result, a common cold can develop, which will only complicate the course of the disease.
Methods of treating pathology
The main areas of therapy for pneumonia include drug therapy and improving the patient's quality of life. In order to suppress the activity of harmful bacteria, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They help relieve inflammation and relieve symptoms of fever. To dilute and release sputum, you can use bronchodilators and mucolytics. Means for suppressing cough with pneumonia are not prescribed.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is also important. Firstly, the patient should get enough sleep. To restore vitality during an ailment requires at least 8 hours of sleep. Secondly, the patient must provide proper nutrition. The diet must include fruits and vegetables. Food should be rich in antioxidants and vitamins. Thirdly, it is extremely important to regularly engage in physical activity. It is best to just walk in the fresh air. Experts strongly recommend that you stop drinking alcoholic beverages. The problem is that ethanol can help suppress the cough reflex. In addition, he enters into an unexpected chemical reaction with other medicines prescribed by a doctor.
Possible complications
Can I smoke with pneumonia? Even after a successful course of treatment, many complications can occur. This is due to the fact that the body has an enhanced weakening effect. Many believe that visiting a bath and hardening can strengthen the body, but more often such procedures only cause additional complications. In addition, prolonged nicotine addiction can even change the structure of the respiratory tract. Tissues of the lungs can gradually begin to change, and the bronchi are deformed. As a result of the accumulation of nicotine, the lungs are able to condense even after quitting addiction. To cope with this problem, with pneumonia it is recommended to walk as much as possible, but not in cold and frost.
In heavy smokers, the pulmonary area gradually loses its ability to stretch when performing sighs. As a result, the body is poorly supplied with oxygen. This can cause a significant increase in the load on the heart and becomes the cause of serious diseases of the cardiovascular system. A regular visit to the bath can serve as a good prevention of the development of pathologies.
Nicotine addiction negatively affects the protective functions of the immune system and impairs metabolism. This is expressed in the fact that various viruses and bacteria do not meet obstacles in their path. They can cause a serious infectious disease without any problems. Therefore, smoking during pneumonia is strongly discouraged.
As for the most common complications among smokers, then they include:
- renal failure;
- heart muscle dysfunction;
- lung cancer and other terrible diseases that can be fatal.
Preventive measures
Can I smoke with pneumonia? Reviews of experts confirm that the most important thing is compliance with personal hygiene rules. The patient should regularly wash their hands with antibacterial compounds. Also, to reduce the likelihood of the disease, vitamin complexes should be taken aimed at the overall strengthening of the immune system.
In lung diseases, the condition of patients can be significantly improved by undergoing specialized therapy. The course of such treatment is usually from 2 weeks to 1.5 months. Therapy is best done in the warm season, when the body is characterized by increased activity. Such measures will help significantly reduce the risk of pneumonia among smokers.
The use of electronic cigarettes
What you need to know about this? Many are interested in whether electronic cigarettes can be smoked with pneumonia. Such a replacement will be an excellent complement to preventative measures. However, it is definitely worth considering contraindications. Certain components in e-cigarette refills are strictly prohibited for smokers.
Effects
Can I smoke after pneumonia? Full recovery does not mean the possibility of a return to the old way of life, including destructive habits. Indeed, the resumption of smoking can lead to complications such as emphysema, abscess, stroke, heart attack, renal failure, urolithiasis and gastrointestinal diseases.
A constant companion of any smoker is bronchitis. This disease, together with a weakened immune system and bacteria that enter the body, can lead to a severe infection, which this time will not be easy to cure. Some believe that if you inhale smoke through your nose, there will be no harm. This is not true. Smoke entering the sinuses can seriously injure the mucous membrane and impair its function. She will be simply unable to retain harmful bacteria and microorganisms. Can I smoke with pneumonia? The reviews of those who have not abandoned this addiction confirm that in this case it takes much longer to recover. Smokers often develop concomitant oral diseases such as stomatitis. In addition, smokers experience serious problems with mucus discharge. This leads to the fact that bacteria are retained for a long time in the body.
Many are interested in whether it is possible to smoke a hookah after pneumonia. Due to the fumes contained in the smoke, it can be potentially dangerous for those who have recently had pneumonia.
Conclusion
Can I smoke with pneumonia? Doctors strongly recommend completely quitting smoking with pneumonia. If you cannot quit addiction yourself, seek the help of a professional narcologist. Otherwise, you risk not only delaying your recovery, but also cause serious complications.