COPD

Question 1

what are the 4 main causes of breathlessness?

Answer 1

lung condition

heart condition

anxiety

being unfit

Question 2

give 2 examples of ways that lung conditions cause breathlessness.

Answer 2

(harder for air to move in and out of the lungs)
airways become inflamed and narrowed

OR airways fill with phlegm

(harder for lungs to expand)
lungs are stiff and not elastic

Question 3

give 6 examples of lung conditions that cause chronic breathlessness.

Answer 3

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

asthma

interstitial lung disease (ILD) including pulmonary fibrosis

bronchiectasis

industrial or occupational lung diseases (e.g asbestosis - caused by being exposed to asbestos)

lung cancer

Question 4

give 5 examples of lung conditions that cause acute breathlessness.

Answer 4

a flare-up of asthma or COPD

a pulmonary embolism or blood clot on the lung

a lung infection such as pneumonia or tuberculosis

a pneumothorax or collapsed lung

a build-up of fluid in your lungs or the lining of your lungs (because your heart is failing to pump efficiently or may be because of liver disease, cancer or infection)