Essay On Copd

COPD is one of the greatest causes of disability and mortality in the twenty first century with future predictions painting an even graver story. Occupation, genome, and primarily smoking are the main causes of COPD. COPD is the third leading cause of death in America, claiming the lives of 134,676 Americans in 2010. Symptoms are typical of a constant smokers cough which progresses into the debilitating palliative stage of the disease; the development of co-morbidities exacerbates these symptoms. COPD has a complex pathophysiology involving hyperinflation, excessive mucus production and airway remodeling; diagnosis is through lung function tests. COPD is poorly managed with few effective treatments and a poor

COPD is almost always caused by smoking, or second hand smoke. The tobacco smoke irritates the airways and destroys the fibers in the lungs. Breathing in chemical fumes, dust, or air pollution over a long period of time may also cause it. It usually takes a long time for the lung damage to start causing symptoms, so COPD is most come in people who are older than 60.

COPD is caused by smoking, other lung irritants and a deficiency of alpha-1-antitrypsin (Krishnan, Gussin, Prieto-Centurion, Sullivan, Zaidi, & Thomashow, 2013).

A. has a history of smoking for 50 years and being diagnosed with COPD 2 years ago. Development of COPD and its exacerbations may be a leading caused by bacteria, viruses, or environmental pollutants, including cigarette smoke. Coussa, et al, “Expiratory flow limitation (EFL), as a consequence of airway inflammation is the pathophysiological hallmark of COPD.” Exacerbations fundamentally reflect acute worsening of EFL and there is evidence for both increased airway inflammatory activity and worsening airway obstruction as likely explanations.

Cigarette smoking is the most common cause, but air pollution and asthma can also cause COPD

Rationale: L.J. exhibits symptoms of COPD that include shortness of breath and productive cough. He has a smoking history of 65-pack-year and smoking has been identified as the primary cause/trigger of the disease (Nagelmann et al., 2011).

It has been found that 12% of moderate and 26% of heavy smokers will develop a form of COPD in the later stages of life (Larsson, 2007). These statistic are shown to increase significantly as those who smoke age with approximately 50% of smokers diagnosed with COPD by the age of 75 (Larsson, 2007). It has been found that 90% of chronic bronchitis patients have developed the disease because of a long-standing history of tobacco smoking (TXT). Other important factors include air pollution, occupational hazards, advanced age, airway hyper-responsiveness, diet, alcohol consumption and heredity (Edelman et al., 1992). Although mortality rates for COPD have decreased due to the progression of medical care, COPD currently has one of the highest mortality rates throughout the developed world (Viegi et al., 2001). It currently ranks as the third highest burden of disease in Australasia and the ninth highest worldwide (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2013). The number of people with COPD is predicted to rapidly increase globally over the coming decades as the tobacco epidemic continues (Viegi et al. 2001). COPD also places a large economic burden on the world with the costs of treatment and care as well as the days of work lost (Viegi et al. 2001).

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/copd/001/) is considered one of the most common causes of death in the world today and, it appears that most of the patients are active smokers. However, according to researchers, the pulmonary disease can affect everybody, not only people who smoke.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, commonly known as COPD, is a slowly progressive inflammatory respiratory disease that affects the airways in the lungs. This makes it difficult for affected individuals to breath and get enough oxygen into their body. According to health statistics, COPD is the third leading cause of death and disability in the U.S.

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

Etiology: COPD is caused by long-term exposure to irritating gases or particulate matter, most often from cigarette smoke.

The body can develop many different types of inflammatory diseases. One disease in particular is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disease causes obstruction of airflow from the lungs. It is mostly caused by long term exposure to irritating gases or particulate matter. The number one exposure would be cigarette smoke. There are always risk factors with diseases and disorders that are affecting the body. Individuals who develop COPD are at a greater risk of developing heart disease, lung cancer and a vast variety of other conditions. Some risk factors for COPD include:

Affecting more than 14.2 million people in the United States, the predominant cause of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder is excessive tobacco smoke. Although there are other factors and causes that can contribute to COPD, such as chemicals, air pollutants, and other underlying causes, heart disease and lung cancer also being associated with this debilitating disease. Statics estimate that there is over 315,000,000 people who are smokers.

There are many factors that contribute to the diagnosis of COPD. Smoking is the most common cause behind the disease. According to Healthline Networks,

Defining what COPD is- COPD is involved in two types of diseases that most people don’t know are related. For example: bronchitis and emphysema are a related source of COPD. They are both involved into a chronic obstructive of the airflow. This does come out of the human body’s lungs.