Obstructive pulmonary diseases Flashcards
What do obstructive lung diseases cause?
Obstructive lung diseases decrease the flow of air through airways during expiration
What are the obstructive lung diseases?
(1) Asthma
(2) COPD - (a) emphysema and (b) chronic bronchitis
(3) Bronchiectasis
(4) Cystic fibrosis
What is asthma?
(1) Bronchoconstriction
(2) Airway inflammation - narrowing through edema, basement membrane enlargement, mucus production, and vasodilatation
What is the pathogenesis of asthma?
(1) Inflammatory trigger (stimulating TH2 cells) leads to release of leukotrienes, histamine, prostaglandins, interleukins, proteases, and adhesion molecules
(2) Airway narrowing occurs
(3) Symptoms: cough, wheeze, dyspnea
What is the pathophysiology of asthma?
(5)
(1) Smooth muscle hypertrophy
(2) Enlarged basement membrane
(3) Sloughing of ciliated columnar epithelium
(4) Inflammatory infiltrate
(5) Increased mucus production (mucus plugs)
What are the clinical manifestations of asthma?
(6)
(1) Wheezing
(2) Intermittent dyspnea
(3) Cough
(4) Chest tightness
(5) Hyperexpansion of the thorax during exacerbation
(6) Atopic dermatitis, eczema
What are causes of wheezing that are not asthma? Extrathoracic upper airway
(3) Intrathoracic upper airway
(2) Lower airway
(3)
(8 total)
Extrathoracic upper airway:
(1) Hypertrophied tonsils
(2) Laryngeal edema
(3) Bilateral vocal cord paralysis
Intrathoracic upper airway
(4) Tracheal stenosis
(5) Intrathoracic goiter
Lower airway:
(6) COPD
(7) Aspiration
(8) Bronchiectasis
What is peak flow?
The highest flow rate of air through the airway
Decreased in asthmatics with diurnal variation - elevated peak flow in the evening, depressed peak flow in the morning
What does a pulmonary function test show in asthmatics?
Decreased FEV1/FVC ratio
Spirometry graph will show scooped line, indicating decreased airflow during expiration
What are some asthma triggers?
(5)
(1) Cigarette smoke
(2) Pollution
(3) Mites
(4) Pet dander
(5) Stress
How effective is home-based environmental intervention among urban children with asthma?
Somewhat effective - reduction in days with symptoms but still symptomatic
What are two types of asthma treatments?
(1) Relievers - taken as needed for quick relief of symptoms
(2) Controllers - taken on a daily basis to prevent symptoms long-term
What are two types of asthma reliever-type meds?
(2)
(1) Short-acting β2 agonists - fast-acting, can cause tremor and tachycardia, sometimes used with anti-cholinergics
(2) Sub-Q epinephrine
Which patients get controller meds over relievers?
(6)
(1) 2 doses of beta agonist/week
(2) 2 days of symptoms/week
(3) 2 nocturnal awakenings/month
(4) 2 beta agonist canisters/year
(5) two unscheduled visits/year
(6) Two prednisone bursts/year
What are the asthma controller-type meds?
(6)
(1) Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) - most common
(2) Long-acting β2 agonists (LABAs)
(3) Leukotriene modifiers (LTM)
(4) Anti-IgE therapy
(5) Methylxanthines
(6) Cromolyn/Nedocromil