COPD Flashcards
What is the difference between COPD and asthma?
COPD - a preventable and treatable disease characterised by persistent airflow limitation that is usually progressive and associated with an enhanced chronic inflammatory response in the airways and lungs whereas asthma is the chronic inflammatory disease of the airways causing variable airflow obstruction and an increase in airway response
What are the main causes of COPD?
Smoking or occupational exposures, air pollution
How is airflow obstruction measured?
FEV - forced expired volume - total air exhaled
FVC - forced vital capacity - the maximum volume of air exhaled with maximum effort after maximum inspiration.
What is bronchitis?
Inflammation of the larger airways
Caused by the inhalation of irritants but is usually due to viral infection accompanied by opportunistic bacterial infections.
May start as a dry cough develops to a wet cough
What are features of bronchitis?
Thick mucus - Hold immunogens. Mucociliary escalator. Mucus plug parts of lungs blocked from the airflow by plugs.
The inflamed lining of the bronchial tube
What are two conditions that are the main causes COPD?
Emphysema & Chronic bronchitis
Permanent destructive enlargement of the lung tissue distal to the terminal bronchioles. Loss of elasticity, impaired gas transfer, destruction of alveolar walls & abnormal permanent enlargement of air spaces
Bronchitis:
Excess mucous from large airways, daily productive cough longer than 3 months
Other causes of productive cough excluded
What are pathophysiology COPD.
Increased thickness of the bronchiolar wall . Hypersecretion of mucus
Mucus plugs
Inflammatory cells
Bronchocontriction
What inherited disease causes tissue damage?
deficiency alpha1-antitrypsin
What value is considered airflow obstruction?
less than 0.7
What is the prime cause of COPD?
Cigarette smoke
What is hyperinflation and cyanosis? Common symptoms for what?
Hyperinflation - caused by the mucus plugs resulting in poor circulation of oxygen out of the lungs & therefore o2 getting trapped in the lungs
Cyanosis - decreased oxygen bound to haemoglobin in rbc - insufficient blood supply.
COPD
What are the two types of COPD?
Type A - Pink Puffer - due to emphysema
- Little sputum
- compensatory hyperventilation due to consistent shallow breaths
- Intense dyspnoea
Type B - Blue Bloater - Chronic Bronchitis
- Airway blockages- trapping air
- Hypoxaemia
- polycythaemia
-Cyanosis - decrease in O2 binding to haemoglobin on RBC
What age should the diagnosis of COPD be considered at?
35
What is the best treatment for someone with COPD?
Reduce smoking/ Stop smoking
Educate them on COPD
Refer to smoking cessation clinic
Ensure they get flu vaccine
To improve respiratory function what may a patient be put on?
B2 agonist or antimuscarinic
Really bad - Theophylline
