Chronic Bronchitis Research Paper

Chronic cough with sputum especially in the mornings. A Chronic cough is often one of the initial symptoms of COPD. It is long term, and can increase in severity as the disease progresses. Sputum or mucus is often produced in the cough of a COPD patient.

Chronic inflammation leads to structural changes, narrowing of the small airways, and destruction of lung tissue, which diminishes the ability of the airways to remain open during expiration

2) Asthma (ICD-10-CM-J45). This is a chronic disease that is characterized by difficulty in breathing due to narrowing and swelling of the bronchial airways. Some of the symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing. Asthmatic attack can be triggered by dust particles in the air, pollen, stress or exercise (Gillman & Douglass, 2012).

Chronic Bronchitis has serious affects on the body especially if Chronic Bronchitis goes untreated early on. The disorder results in an ongoing decline of the lungs functioning properly. Patients are at a higher risk of cardiac disease and pulmonary disease related deaths (American Lung Association, 2015). Fortunately there are treatment options for patients. If the patient is a smoker the first step for treatment would be smoking cessation. Smoking cessation means to quit smoking. There are many positive results from this treatment. This can help reduce coughing, lower the level of mucus production which will decrease injury to the bronchiole tubes. Other

Causes of COPD are, but are not limited to, tobacco smoke, occupational working exposure, outdoor and indoor pollutants, genetic factors and early life environmental factors. This disease has become the third leading cause of death in the United States of America. The only proven way to slow the progression is to QUIT smoking. Some studies have shown that giving a bronchodilator has reversed some lung function which benefits the patient. Symptoms of COPD include, but are not limited to, dyspnea upon exertion, chronic cough with or without phlegm, fatigue and weight loss. Some common characteristics of COPD are exacerbations and episodes of acute worsening. Exacerbations are commonly caused by viral and/or bacterial infections and pollution. Multimodal treatments are used and include

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease also known as COPD is a group of progressed lung disease that makes it hard for you to breath. The main disease that lead to COPD is bronchitis and emphysema. Emphysema is known to slowly destroys air sacs in your lungs which interfere with outward breathing. Bronchitis is inflammation and narrowing of the bronchial tubes in which mucus builds up in which carry the air from and to the lung. The symptoms are not major nor extreme. At first, they start off mild and don’t really cause any pain. First some people may experience coughing and shortness of breath and think that they are coming off with a cold. Once COPD progresses it can become increasingly hard to breath. At this point many go to the doctor in

Bronchiectasis is a lung condition which may create breathing problems that produce dramatic effects on how you function on a day to day basis. It causes the airways that bring air both to and from the lungs to widen and become flimsy, slowing the ability of the airway to clear away mucus. After enough time, this will prevent the airways to moving air in and out of the lungs.

Chronic bronchitis’ occurs in a period of more than three months that continues in a period of two years (Copstead & Banasik, 2013, p. 483). The destruction of bronchial walls will result in dilation of airway sacs. The dilated sacs contain infected secretion from streptococcal and staphylococcal pneumonia, which can spread to nearby areas of the lungs such as other areas of the body and even to the brain.

The clinical findings that correlate with M.K’s Chronic bronchitis are the chronic cough with sputum and the fact that she has smoked for twenty-two years. Chronic bronchitis is defined as a daily cough with sputum production for at least three consecutive months for two years in a row. Chronic bronchitis is also usually associated with long term tobacco use. When you have COPD, the airways of the lungs become inflamed and thickened which make them narrow. They can become clogged with mucus and makes it difficult for air to get in and out of the lungs. Which leads to persistent coughing as your body tries to get rid of the extra mucus.

The number one cause of COPD is long term smoking of any kind. Also people living and working in polluted areas are at risk as well as people who have certain jobs working with chemical fumes. Extreme dampness

Chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been known as umbrella diagnosis of multiple pulmonary disorders. COPD is a complex disorder that is very prevalent in the older adult population and causes significant complications in the older adult due to age related aspects and multiple co morbidities that are involved. According to the World Health Organization, COPD is defined as chronic obstruction of lung airflow that can be irreversible and results in decreased pulmonary lung function. COPD consists of two intertwined which are difficult to distinguish which are chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Chronic bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of your bronchial tubes, and emphysema occurs when the alveoli are gradually destroyed. The American College of Chest Physicians defines chronic bronchitis as "productive cough that is present for a period of 3 months in each of 2 consecutive years in the absence of another identifiable cause of excessive sputum production". COPD can be difficult to manage in the older adult due to several factors such as frailty, cognitive decline, co morbid conditions, medication adherence, and lack of support and understanding of the disease. These factors can result in readmissions to hospitals, poor patient outcomes and increase in morbidity and mortality.

There are several diagnostic techniques used to determine if an individual is suffering from chronic bronchitis and the severity of disease. The severity of chronic bronchitis can be determined and classified as mild, moderate, severe, or very severe by the utilization of pulmonary function tests. Evaluation of airflow obstruction with forced expiratory spirometry is a diagnostic technique that is commonly employed. Using spirometry, stage IV, very severely progressed chronic bronchitis, will result in a FEV1.0/ FVC ratio less than .70 and a FEV1.0 less than 30 percent of the patients predicted FEV1.0. (Medicine, 2014). Other diagnostic techniques may include a chest radiograph, which is used to determine if there are any other underlying conditions that could be causing chronic coughing, such as pneumonia. Taking a sample of blood from an artery to test the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide is a useful technique as well. Someone with very severe chronic bronchitis will have low oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide in their blood (American Thoracic Society, 1995). A physician may also implement an electrocardiography (ECG) to test the function of the heart to conclude if a heart illness is causing shortness of breath. A chronic cough that produces excessive amounts of mucus, severe exacerbations and dyspnea, unhealthy weight loss, edema of the inferior extremities, and cyanosis are all

Bronchitis COPD is a productive cough for at least 3 months along with airway obstruction. This condition would likely result in the clinical finding of crackles, wheezing, sputum production, and hypoxia and abnormally elevated carbon dioxide retention at rest. Bronchitis COPD involves inflamed airways obstructed by mucus whereas emphysematous COPD involves destruction of terminal airways leading to decreased space for gas exchange. In emphysematous COPD, one would have shortness of breath, dyspnea and may appear barrel chested. Also, hypoxia and hypercarbia aren’t as prominent in emphysematous COPD as in bronchitis COPD.

Ever have a cough and wonder what is causing it? Or if you hear a doctor say you are diagnosed with something but do not know what is really happening? If you are diagnosed with bronchitis then you have inflammation of the mucus in the bronchial tubes, which is causing you to cough. Bronchiectasis is the abnormal widening of the bronchi or branches which will cause risk of infection. Bronchopneumonia means both of your lungs are infected by a virus, fungi, or bacteria. The infection will cause inflammation in the alveoli where oxygen and carbon dioxide take place exchanging causing it to fill with pus or fluid. Bronchopneumonia, bronchiectasis, and bronchitis can all be chronic.

90% of bronchitis cases are related to viruses. Acute bronchitis is a self-limit respiratory disorder, and when the cough persists for >3 weeks, other diagnoses must be considered. Fewer than 10% of patients will have a bacterial infection diagnosed as the cause of bronchitis. Therefore the widespread use of antibiotics for the treatment of acute bronchitis is not justified, and vigorous efforts to curtail their use should be encouraged (Braman,