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,

Background: Comorbidities are common and significant in COPD, often contributing to symptoms, exacerbations, hospital admissions and mortality.

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).

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

These diseases are mainly caused by the use of tobacco, but also can be triggered from pollution in the air. People who are in contact with second-hand smoke may also experience COPD. Other risk-factors include poorly ventilated homes and fuels that burn during cooking. People 40 years of age or older and have some history of smoking are at increased risk for developing this condition. More than 11 million people are diagnosed with chronic obstruction pulmonary disease.

Millions of individuals suffer and die from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) each year in our nation. Currently, there is no cure for COPD; therefore, the most beneficial goal for these patients is to provide enhanced quality of life that includes limited admissions to the hospital setting and decreased exacerbations. Management of this disease process through proper patient education and multidisciplinary collaboration improves a COPD patient’s ability to maintain a healthier state of life as well as decrease their chance of a costly hospital readmission (Chamberlain, Lau, Siracuse, 2017).

As of not long ago, the significant objective of COPD treatment was the diminishment of side effects. Nonetheless, with the acknowledgment that intensifications of COPD are extremely normal, have a noteworthy antagonistic effect on personal satisfaction, and may speed sickness movement, rules and clinical consideration are concentrating on decreasing future dangers, for example, the counteractive action and treatment of intensifications (2013, August 23). In created nations the hospitalization of COPD patients, brought on transcendently by intensifications, represents over half of direct human services

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an ailment defined by irreversible airway limitation. COPD is an umbrella term covering emphysema, in which there is destruction and enlargement of the lung alveoli, chronic bronchitis, characterized by chronic cough and phlegm production, and small airways disease, a condition in which airways are narrowed.2 Cigarette smoking is responsible for most cases of COPD and is responsible for 90% of the risk for developing COPD.3 Patients who do not smoke can also develop COPD via recurrent infections, exposure to fumes or pollution, and second hand smoking.2 Genetic factors have been found to increase the risk of developing COPD, most notably Alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency, which is present in 1to 2% of COPD patients.2 COPD currently affects more than 10 million Americans and holds a spot as the fourth leading cause of death.2 The National Health Interview Survey reports the

COPD which is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is known as a condition that progressively makes it harder to breathe because the airflow into and out of the lungs is reduced. This usually occurs because the airways and air sacs lose their elastic quality, the walls between the air sacs are destroyed, the walls of the airways become swollen, or if the airways are clogged because they made more mucus than usual. Three main conditions of this disease are emphysema, chronic obstructive bronchitis, and asthma. Most patients who suffer from COPD also suffer from emphysema and chronic bronchitis as to why they are commonly just defined as COPD. The patients who experience one or more of these conditions usually find it even more difficult to

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).

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.

Emphysema is common, yet serious condition that is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is so serious because it can enlarge and eventually destroy air spaces within the lungs. This disease effects millions of people in the United States, and is the third leading cause in the United States. Smoking is the leading cause of this condition. Understanding how COPD works, it helps to know how the lungs work as well. When you inhale air, that air is sent down your windpipe, or trachea, into tubes called bronchi. These bronchial tubes then branch into the lungs by getting smaller, thinner and by the thousands, these are

To sum up, emphysema is a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD), which is a long-term disease used to describe lung diseases. Additionally, when patients have emphysema, they may suffer from chronic bronchitis. To determine whether or not a patient has emphysema, the doctors use the GOLD emphysema staging system. Emphysema devolves slowly over the years, and it has four stages which are mild emphysema, moderate emphysema, severe emphysema, and very severe emphysema. In addition, emphysema has two causes, which are inherited and the environmental. There causes affect the function of the lungs, which lead to other diseases; moreover, emphysema will affect a daily life of patient.

As shown in Figure 4, COPD can partake to two unique forms having their own devastating effects as portrayed within the flow chart. In chronic bronchitis cases, COPD may begin with some damage to the endothelium which can inhibit the musociliary response that is in charge of removing bacteria and mucous. This is a sign of mucous gland hyperplasia (sputum production), a hallmark symptom of chronic bronchitis. This is where patients may first notice sputum coughing as a symptom of bronchitis. This also causes inflammation and obstructs the airways. The airway lumen may also fill with neutrophilia, and neutrophilic infiltrates build up in the submucosa. The respiratory bronchioles become inflamed and blockages are caused by smooth muscle hyperplasia,