Asthma/COPD Flashcards
What other atopic conditions may occur in people with atopic asthma?
Hay fever, eczema, persistant rhinitis, food
allergies
What are the 5 most common allergens triggering atopic asthma?
House dust mites, Cockroaches, Pollens and moulds, Foods, Animal dander
What is occupational asthma?
Asthma caused by the workplace environment.
What are the most important causes COPD?
- Tobacco smoking
- Occupational exposures e.g. dusts and chemicals (such as vapours, irritants, and fumes)
- Frequent lower respiratory infections during childhood.
What causes the wheezing on expiration in asthma?
Due to airway obstruction caused by bronchoconstriction or
excessive mucus production with poor clearance
Asthma
Type 1 Hypersensitivity Reaction
Th2 Immune response
Sensitisation and re-exposure
Where is the pathology when wheezing occurs in inspiration?
Pathology proximally in the trachea
In a patient with air trapping leading to hyperinflation in COPD what clinical findings would you expect to find on
expansion and percussion?
Expansion: Bilateral reduction of chest wall movement.
Percussion: Hyperresonant
What is pulsus paradoxus and what is the mechanism for this sign and how would you examine for it (pulse and BP)?
Inspiratory fall in systolic blood pressure exceeding 10 mmHg
On clinical examination, beats are
detectable on cardiac auscultation during inspiration, but they are not palpable at the radial pulse.
Associated with a Cardiac Temponade and Massive Pulmonary Emboli
What is Cor pulmonale?
Enlargement and failure of the RV due to increased vascular resistance or increased blood pressure in the lungs
(pulmonary HPT)
What are the chest x-ray findings in COPD?
Floating heart sign. Diaphragm below rib 7.
What changes would you expect in the flow loop on pulmonary function testing in COPD?
Reduced loop with
impaired exhalation.
Decreased FEV1 and FVC
Left shifted graph
