Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Flashcards
1
Q
WHAT IS CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE?
A
- COPD is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs and is a group of progressive lung diseases.
- The most common of these diseases are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Many people with COPD have both of these conditions.
2
Q
- COPD NEGATIVELY IMPACTING GAS EXCHANGE:
A
- In COPD individuals, gas exchange can become impaired.
- When this happens, it’s hard to provide your body with enough oxygen to support daily activities and to remove enough carbon dioxide
3
Q
- COPD NEGATIVELY IMPACTING GAS EXCHANGE:
A
- When you breathe in, your lungs expand, and air enters through your nose and mouth.
- This air travels through airways that gradually get smaller until it reaches the alveoli. These are the tiny air sacs in your lungs where gas exchange occurs.
- Oxygen from the air moves through the thin walls of the alveoli and enters into the bloodstream via tiny blood vessels called capillaries.
- At the same time as oxygen is moving into the blood, carbon dioxide moves from the blood into the alveoli.
- When you breathe out, the lungs deflate, pushing carbon dioxide up through your airways where it exits your body through your nose and mouth.
- The health and flexibility of your airways and alveoli are vital in promoting effective gas exchange. However, in COPD, these structures have become damaged. Due to this, gas exchange cannot occur as efficiently.
4
Q
Some mechanisms behind impaired gas exchange in COPD can include one or a combination of the following:
A
- airways or alveoli that have lost elasticity and cannot expand and deflate to their full capacity when you breathe in and out
- alveoli walls that have been destroyed, leading to reduced surface area for gas exchange
- long-term inflammation that’s led to thickening of the airway walls
- airways that have become clogged with thick mucus
5
Q
THE MAIN SYMPTOMS OF COPD ARE:
A
- increasing breathlessness, particularly when you’re active
- a persistent chesty cough with phlegm – some people may dismiss this as just a “smoker’s cough”
- frequent chest infections
- persistent wheezing
6
Q
TREATMENT:
A
- There’s currently no cure for COPD, but treatment can help slow the progression of the condition and control the symptoms.
Treatments include: - stopping smoking – giving up smoking can help prevent further damage.
- inhalers and tablets – to help make breathing easier by using this is a device that delivers medicine directly into your lungs as you breathe in.
- pulmonary rehabilitation – a specialised programme of exercise and education
- surgery or a lung transplant – although this is only an option for a very small number of people
7
Q
DESCRIBE RISK FACTORS OF COPD
A
- Exposure to tobacco smoke. The most significant risk factor for COPD is long-term cigarette smoking. the longer the exposure, the greater the risk
- People with asthma. Asthma, a chronic inflammatory airway disease, may be a risk factor for developing COPD. The combination of asthma and smoking increases the risk of COPD even more.
- Occupational exposure to dusts and chemicals. Long-term exposure to chemical fumes, vapours and dusts in the workplace can irritate and inflame your lungs.
- Exposure to fumes from burning fuel. In the developing world, people exposed to fumes from burning fuel for cooking and heating in poorly ventilated homes are at higher risk of developing COPD.
- Genetics. The uncommon genetic disorder alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency is the cause of some cases of COPD. Other genetic factors likely make certain smokers more susceptible to the disease.
- Age. People are more likely to develop COPD as they get older. This is partly related to the number of cigarettes smoked and the number of years as a smoker.
8
Q
DESCRIBE A HEALTH SUSTAINING LIFESTYLE WITH RESPECT TO COPD
A
Your physician may recommend making several lifestyle changes to prevent COPD, from worsening, regardless of the severity of the condition.
- Take your medicine
- Stop Smoking
- Get Vaccinated
- Adapt Your Work Environment
- Stay Active
- Maintain a Healthy Weight
9
Q
Emphysema description
A
(damage to the air sacs in the lungs): is a disease usually cause by long-term exposure to irritating particles in the airs taken into the lungs
- Irritating particles cause damage the fragile walls and elastic fibres of the alveoli. This makes the alveoli lose their elasticity meaning they are often replaced with fibrous tissues, and may break down, reducing the internal surface area of the lungs.
- Due to loss of elasticity of the lung tissue, the lungs are constantly inflated and breathing out no longer occurs passively but require voluntary effort.
- Thus, the emphysema sufferer will have 2 problems: inadequate SA for gas exchange and difficulty in ventilating the lungs.
10
Q
Emphysema causes
A
- Smokers who constantly inhale irritants of tobacco smoke, those who work in areas that are highly exposed to dust and people in cities with high air pollution are at the highest risk.
11
Q
Emphysema symptoms
A
- Frequent coughing or wheezing
- a cough that produces alot mucus
- shortness of breath, especially with physical activity
- a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe
- tightness in your chest
12
Q
Emphysema pathophysiological characteristics
A
abnormal permanent enlargement of air spaces due to the terminal bronchioles and accompanied by the destruction of alveolar walls. This process leads to reduced gas exchange, changes in airway dynamics that impair expiratory airflow, and progressive air trapping.
13
Q
Emphysema treatment
A
- Emphysema cannot be cured, and once lung damage begins, the progression of the disease cannot be stopped. Although it is treatable, appropriate management like
- quitting to smoke
- avoiding air pollutants
- respiratory rehab programs
- oxygen treatment
- medications such as anti-inflammatory medication can reduce symptoms, improve your quality of life
14
Q
Emphysema prevalence
A
- In the 2017–18 ABS National Health Survey, the prevalence of COPD (captured as self-reported emphysema and/or bronchitis) in Australians aged 45 and over was 4.8%. Overall, the prevalence did not differ significantly between men and women.
15
Q
Chronic bronchitis description
A
: is long-term inflammation and excessive mucus build-up in the bronchi blocking air flow in the lungs and cause breathing problems.
- To be classified as chronic bronchitis: You must have a cough and mucus most days for at least 3 months a year, for 2 years in a row.
- CB affects the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange because the airway swelling, and mucus production can also narrow the airways and reduce the flow of oxygen-rich air into the lung and carbon dioxide out of the lung.
- You develop a chronic cough trying to clear your airways
