COPD patients:
Advice from the British Lung Foundation and the British Thoracic Society is that patients with COPD who have exacerbations and normally have a rescue pack as part of their personalised action plan should continue to use these as recommended in their personalised plan.
NI Primary Care Antimicrobial Guidance
NICE visual summary of antibiotic prescribing for an acute exacerbation of COPD is here, and attached, including recommended choice of antibiotics in patients at higher risk of treatment failure or risk of severe complications.
There is no evidence to use or not use inhaled corticosteroids outside usual guidelines in COPD patients with COVID-19.
Asthma patients:
Advice from the British Lung Foundation and Asthma UK for patients with asthma is that rescue packs are not recommended for people with asthma as standard. If someone’s asthma is bad enough to consider rescue steroids then it is essential that they are assessed by a healthcare professional.
All asthmatics should have a personalised asthma action plan that advises them how to spot if their asthma is getting work, what action to take and how to seek help.
A Cochrane review found that there is no evidence from randomised trials to inform the use of patient or parent-initiated oral corticosteroids in people with asthma.
References:
https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/coronavirus/people-living-with-lung-condition
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng114
https://www.asthma.org.uk/advice/triggers/coronavirus-covid-19/
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD012195.pub2/full
