COPD Flashcards
what is COPD?
a condition that makes it harder to breathe due to mange to airways and the destruction of lung tissue
what is the leading preventable cause of COPD?
smoking
How does chronic bronchitis develop?(4)
- smoke or pollution reduce the size of our cilia and reduce the movement of it
- increase the number of goblet cells that line the bronchiole, produce more mucus
- inflammation we get an increase in size in the sub epithelial space
- increase secretion of submucosal glands
how does chronic bronchitis cause illness?
due to having more mucus, pathogens sit in our respiratory system and proliferate
what is hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction?
when tissues in the body become hypoxic every vessel in the body vasodilates except the lungs where you have vasoconstriction
what is oedema?
fluid in your circulation can leave the capillaries so you get a build up of fluid in the lungs
what is chronic bronchitis?
build up of pulmonary arteriole pressure -> wide spread vasoconstriction -> back flow of blood -> pulmonary hypertension
what is emphysema?
a condition in which the air sacs of the lungs are damaged and enlarged, causing breathlessness.
what happens to inspiratory capacity with COPD?
a reduction in IC as there is a leftward shift with your flow volume loop
what happens with COPD and our breathing ability?
inability to empty our lungs during exercise, less able to breath in deeply
why does septum deviation occur with COPD?
larger left ventricle and a smaller right ventricle because we are working so hard to send blood through to the lungs
what is dyspnoea?
excessive increase in breathlessness
what happens to our muscle fibres with COPD?
we get more fast twitch muscle fibres
