Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

I will analyse the prevalence of the condition and what the potential causes may be. My interests have been directed to pre hospital care and community lead treatment packages, which are potentially available to the patient, as this is the acute environment, which I will have contact with in my employment as a paramedic. The initial reading was to understand COPD as a chronic condition, what is COPD? and its prevalence in the population. The (World health organisation, 2000), states that one in four deaths in the world are caused by COPD. In 2010 (Vos T Flaxman etal, 2012), says globally there were approximately 329 million, which is 4.8% of the population who are affected by this chronic condition, In the UK (NICE, 2010), have estimated that 3 million people suffer from COPD, with more yet to be diagnosed. This information about the amount of people living with this condition was surprising, as I little knowledge of its existence. During the early 1960’s (Timothy Q. Howes, 2005), says the term COPD had been designated as a single term unifying all the chronic respiratory diseases. Since then the term COPD, has been sub divided in to three umbrella areas, Bronchitis, Emphysema and Chronic asthma, which are separate conditions, which I have been previously aware of as their individual conditions. The 58 year old patient who we visited,

There are no cure for this disease. However, there are different treatment to prevent further deterioration of the lungs function in order to improve the quality of life of the patient by increasing capacity of their physical activity. One of the main severe complication a patient with COPD can develop is exacerbation. Increased breathlessness, increased sputum volume and purulent sputum are the signs and symptoms of exacerbation. Early detection of the signs of exacerbation can help keep the condition of the patient from worsening. The treatments of COPD mainly aims at controlling the symptoms of exacerbation such as taking inhalers. Patients who are over the age of 35 and ex-smokers with chronic cough and bronchitis are recommended to have spirometer (NICE, 2004). This is because it is possible to delay or prevent patients from developing severe case of COPD is identified before they lose their lungs functions. Oxygen therapy is another treatment for COPD as the patients with this condition has high

R.W. appears with progressive difficulty getting his breath while doing simple tasks, and also having difficulty doing any manual work, complains of a cough, fatigue, and weight loss, and has been treated for three respiratory infections a year for the past 3 years. On physical examination, CNP notice clubbing of his fingers, use accessory muscles for respiration, wheezing in the lungs, and hyperresonance on percussion of the lungs, and also pulmonary function studies show an FEV1 of 58%. These all symptoms and history represented here most strongly indicate the probability of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a respiratory disease categorized by chronic airway inflammation, a decrease in lung function over time, and gradual damage in quality of life (Booker, 2014).

The study included 100 patients with COPD. All patients fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. According to its demographic and clinical parameters and treatment groups differ among themselves. Completed the study, all patients included in the study. The therapy in all patients with a clinically meaningful improvement of symptoms was observed.

Have you ever known a person who smokes and has a hard time doing every day activities, due to difficulty of breath, or constantly coughing. He or she may have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD. COPD is a progressive and treatable lung disease that causes shortness of breath due to obstruction of air way (COPD, 2013). Progressive means that is gradually gets worse over time. It is a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema (Causes,2014). Chronic bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchioles, which causes mucus build up (Davis,2016). Emphysema is when the air sacs get enlarged (Smoking, 2016). Since the disease does not have a cure yet it is important to know pathology (path of disease), epidemiology (who is effected in a population), ethology (who is effected genetically), manifestation (symptoms), treatment, and outcome.

COPD is the continued tightening of the airways, causing a blockage to the airflow to the lungs, which causes shortness of breath. It chiefly comprises of emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Both are typically caused by smoking, or less frequently, by work-related exposure to dusts or

History of Present Illness: Mr. Magnuson is a very pleasant 77-year-old gentleman who was previously seen in this office by Elvira Aguila, MD for COPD and hypoxic respiratory failure. He is here today for routine followed up. He was last evaluated in January 2015. Since that time, he states that his dyspnea is worse. He feels that it is related to the weather. He does state that he works around the house, although he does have significant functional limitations because of shortness of breath. His wife also confirms that he is able to do less and less. He has a stable, minimal cough. He is using 4L of oxygen at night as well as, as needed throughout the day. He continues to smoke three to four cigarettes on

The main symptoms of COPD are long lasting cough, mucus that come up when you cough, and when you exercise (or even just walk up the stairs) shortness of breath can get worse. When COPD gets worse, it gets harder to eat or exercise, and breathing takes much more energy. People often lose weight and get weaker. Symptoms might even flare up and get much worse. This is called COPD exacerbation. An exacerbation can range from mild to life threatening. The longer you have this disease, the more severe the flare up can get.

COPD is a disease that depletes a person of air. This disease is the fourth top cause of death in the United States. COPD describes several lung diseases including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, refractory asthma, and other forms of bronchiectasis. There is no average case, as every case is different from the next. This disease is long term but treatable.

Patients with COPD become short of breath, hyperventilate and become very tired by using all efforts on respiratory and axillary muscles in order to breath and effects their activity of daily living such as walking up the stairs, putting on socks/shoes. On physical assessment, patient would be observed the appearance of the thoracic cage, for any deformity, an inadequate chest expansion and auscultation for adventitious sounds. Patients with COPD are often diagnosed with emphysema, where alveoli of the lungs damaged and these damaged tiny sacs cannot be seen directly in physical exam. There are diagnostic tests would be necessary to perform such as CT or X-ray scans of the chest. Additional tests would be performed to measure pulmonary function test, arterial blood gases and sputum collection if necessary to determine any bacteria growth in respiratory

Within the confines of this assignment, it is the hope of the author that the reader will obtain an understanding of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This will be achieved by bringing the reader through the patients’ illness journey. The assignment will begin by defining COPD and briefly going through the pathophysiology and incidents of the condition. From there the reader will embark on the journey, starting with diagnosis.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, commonly known as COPD, is a collection of lung conditions or diseases that, all together, block the flow of air into the lungs. This condition makes it hard for the patient have dyspnea, anoxia, or eventually apnea. COPD usually starts off small and gradually gets worse and worse over time, hints chronic in its name. Because it starts off small there are many people who have this disease but do not know it until it is further along and worse. This disease is very common for both smokers and nonsmokers and is a bigger threat to our health than most people think. < Victor >< MacGill >

All over the world, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a very significant and prevalent cause of morbidity and mortality, and it is increasing with time (Hurd, 2000; Pauwels, 2000; Petty, 2000). Due to the factor of COPD being an underdiagnosed and undertreated disease, the epidemiology (Pauwels, Rabe, 2004) is about 60 to 85 % with mild or moderate COPD remaining undiagnosed (Miravitlles et al., 2009; Hvidsten et al., 2010).

The World Health Organization (WHO) (2006A) defines COPD as a disease state characterized by airflow limitation that is not wholly reversible. The airflow limitation is usually both progressive and associated with abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles or gases. John's chronic bronchitis is defined, clinically, as the presence of a chronic productive cough for 3 months in each of 2 successive years, provided other causes of chronic cough have been ruled out. (Mannino, 2003). The British lung Foundation (BLF) (2005) announces that chronic bronchitis is the inflammation and eventual scarring of the lining of the bronchial tubes which is the explanation for John's dyspnea. The BLF (2005) believe that when the bronchi become inflamed less air is able to flow to and from the lungs and once the bronchial tubes have been irritated over a long period of time, excessive mucus is produced. This increased sputum results from an increase in the size and number of goblet cells (Jeffery, 2001) resulting in John's excessive mucus production. The lining of the bronchial tubes becomes thickened and an irritating cough develops, (Waugh & Grant 2004) which is an additional symptoms that john is experiencing.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, also known as COPD, is the third leading cause of death in the United States. COPD includes extensive lungs diseases such as emphysema, non-reversible asthma, specific forms of bronchiectasis, and chronic bronchitis. This disease restricts the flow of air in and out of the lungs. Ways in which these limitations may occur include the loss of elasticity in the air sacs and throughout the airways, the destruction of the walls between air sacs, the inflammation or thickening of airway walls, or the overproduction of mucus in airways which can lead to blockage. Throughout this paper I am going to explain the main causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and ways to reduce COPD.