By Camille Noe Pagán
If you have a lung disease like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it’s important to take steps to protect yourself from COVID-19 and other viruses. But you might be wondering if wearing a face mask to lower your risk of illness will make it harder to breathe, or even make your lung disease worse.
“There are a lot of myths floating around about who should wear a mask, and how and when they should wear it,” says Frank Coletta, MD, director of pulmonary medicine and chief of critical care at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, NY. Read on to get the facts on masks and lung disease.