Open main menu ☰
HealingWell
Search Close Search
Health Conditions
Allergies Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety & Panic Disorders Arthritis Breast Cancer Chronic Illness Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes
Fibromyalgia GERD & Acid Reflux Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lupus Lyme Disease Migraine Headache Multiple Sclerosis Prostate Cancer Ulcerative Colitis

View Conditions A to Z »
Support Forums
Anxiety & Panic Disorders Bipolar Disorder Breast Cancer Chronic Pain Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Fibromyalgia GERD & Acid Reflux
Hepatitis Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lupus Lyme Disease Multiple Sclerosis Ostomies Prostate Cancer Rheumatoid Arthritis Ulcerative Colitis

View Forums A to Z »
Log In
Join Us
Close main menu ×
  • Home
  • Health Conditions
    • All Conditions
    • Allergies
    • Alzheimer's Disease
    • Anxiety & Panic Disorders
    • Arthritis
    • Breast Cancer
    • Chronic Illness
    • Crohn's Disease
    • Depression
    • Diabetes
    • Fibromyalgia
    • GERD & Acid Reflux
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    • Lupus
    • Lyme Disease
    • Migraine Headache
    • Multiple Sclerosis
    • Prostate Cancer
    • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Support Forums
    • All Forums
    • Anxiety & Panic Disorders
    • Bipolar Disorder
    • Breast Cancer
    • Chronic Pain
    • Crohn's Disease
    • Depression
    • Diabetes
    • Fibromyalgia
    • GERD & Acid Reflux
    • Hepatitis
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    • Lupus
    • Lyme Disease
    • Multiple Sclerosis
    • Ostomies
    • Prostate Cancer
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Log In
  • Join Us
Join Us
☰
Forum Home| Forum Rules| Moderators| Active Topics| Help| Log In

CF and COPD

Support Forums
>
Cystic Fibrosis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
profile picture
NeefaFeefa
Regular Member
Joined : Aug 2006
Posts : 75
Posted 10/20/2011 7:52 PM (GMT -7)
Hello all!

 

My name is Emily, I am 21 years old, and I have CF. The main point of this post is to ask a question: Is it safe for people with Cystic Fibrosis and for people with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) to be together on a regular basis? I know as a CF patient that it is dangerous for CFer's to be around each other due to passing on infections and bacterias, but I was wondering if it was the same between CF and COPD. COPD patients arre also very prone to respiratory infections and bacterias, so it would make sense to me that it may be a risk to be together too often.

 

Now I ask this because I just found out that my new boyfriend in fact has COPD, and is often very sick during the winter from flare ups. So now I am wondering: Is this going to be a poblem for the both of us?

 

I have a doctor appointment in a week and a half and i'll ask, but I just wanted to see if anyone had some insight.

 

Thanks!

Emily 

profile picture
Gemsi
Veteran Member
Joined : Feb 2007
Posts : 1050
Posted 10/31/2011 4:32 AM (GMT -7)
Hi Emily,

Sorry for the late reply, been trying to reply for 3 days but something always crops up as I'm replying meaning I have to quickly close off and leave the house.

I believe it is safe to be around people with COPD. CF infections are usually CF specific. They have had to mutate to be able to grow in CF lungs, even psuedomonas. The regular strain of Psuedo would make us feel a bit icky, but could be quickly eradicated. It's why they are so big on cross-infection now, as they realised the mutated versions of the bugs that could grow in CF lungs were spreading between us all and growing stronger. The way they've mutated though means they can only grow in really sticky situations. I think there would be a risk if they were an ex-smoker and had lung disease from smoking. This is because smoking stop the CFTR protein working so well, creating a similar sticky environment. This is pretty new research, but they're now looking at how they've treated smoking related lung disease and CF and they might be able to cross-research ad come up with something better for us all.

We have a support worker who works on our CF ward, with pretty bad COPD. I would hope if she was a risk to us the CF docs would have picked up on that.

Hope this helps, and hope they can find a way to treat your boyfriend.

Gem xx

profile picture
Wiley Coyote
Regular Member
Joined : Jan 2015
Posts : 37
Posted 2/14/2015 2:29 PM (GMT -7)
There are several strains of bacteria (staph, H. influenzae, and a few others) that love to colonize CF and COPD lungs. Yes, the infections can be passed back and forth, especially if the person with COPD is in an acute phase.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply




HealingWell

About Us  |   Advertise  |   Subscribe  |   Privacy & Disclaimer
Connect With Us
FacebookFacebook TwitterTwitter PinterestPinterest LinkedInLinkedIn
© 1997-2021 HealingWell.com LLC All Rights Reserved. Our website is for informational purposes only. HealingWell.com LLC does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.