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Essay On COPD

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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs. Symptoms of COPD patients are shortness of breath (SOB) that causes limiting of the patient’s activities and lack of energy, hard cough, massive sputum production, blue lips and fingernails (cyanosis), losing weight, fatigue, swelling in feet (edema), and wheezing. COPD is a disease caused by a long history of smoking cigarettes. COPD patients are more at risk for diseases such as heart disease, lung cancer, and other conditions and diseases. The two most common diseases related to COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Tobacco smoking is the main cause of COPD in developed countries because people are close to chemical fumes, dust, and smoke from fuel in poorly ventilated homes. Many…show more content…
There are many different ways to diagnosis COPD such as pulmonary function tests, chest X-rays, CT scans, arterial blood gas analysis to measure the level of oxygen in the blood, laboratory tests, and spirometry. After COPD is diagnosed, there are different ways to apply the treatment for the patients with COPD. The most important step in treatment is that the patient has to stop smoking. The doctor’s orders require the patient to take bronchodilators that disperse the appropriate medication that relaxes the muscle that control the airway. Surgery is an option for some people with severe emphysema who are not helped by the other ways of treatment. Surgical options include lung volume reduction surgery, lung transplant, and bullectomy. In addition to the varieties of treatment, there is oxygen therapy (The Mayo Clinic, 2017). According to PubMed health states that sixteen million Americans have been diagnosed with COPD and 14 million have chronic bronchitis. 2 million people have emphysema. An example of a patient with COPD is a 65-year-old man admitted to the
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