Respiratory Flashcards
What is the pathophysiology of COPD?
An increase in goblet cells, airway inflammation, airway fibrosis, luminal plugs and increased airway destruction. Loss of alveolar attachments and a decrease in elastic recoil. Blood vessels are damaged. There is V/Q mismatch, an increase in pulmonary artery pressure and a decrease in PaO2
What are the symptoms of COPD?
Productive cough of white/clear sputum, wheeze. SOB, frequent infective exacerbations, hypertension, osteoporosis, depression, weight loss and muscle wasting.
What are the signs of COPD?
Tachypnoeic with prolonged expiration, accessory muscles of respiration are used, cyanosis, hyperinflation, barrel shaped chest, cor pulmonale (increased JVP, RV failure)
What tests are used to diagnose COPD?
Spirometry, CXR, high resolution CT of the chest, ABG (hypoxaemia and hypercapnia), ECG, alpha 1 anti-trypsin levels and gentoype in premature disease or non-smokers
What treatment is used in COPD?
SABA (mild)
SABA & LABA or LAMA
SABA, ICS, LABA
SABA, ICS, LABA & LAMA (very severe)
Long term oxygen therapy in patients with chronic respiratory failure
Antibiotics in patients with exacerbations
What is the aetiology of asthma?
Atopy and allergy
What is the pathophysiology of asthma?
Bronchial hyperresponsiveness, excessive smooth muscle contraction, hypertrophy and proliferation of smooth muscle cells, loss of ciliated columnar cells
What are the symptoms of asthma?
Wheezing attacks, episodic SOB, cough, nocturnal cough
What tests are used to diagnose asthma?
Peak flow rate - diurnal variation
Spirometry - >15% improvement in FEV1 or PEFR following inhalation of a bronchodilator
Methacholine bronchial provocation test
Blood and sputum - increase in eosinophils
Trial of corticosteroids - >15% improvement in FEV1
What is the treatment for asthma?
SABA - mild
SABA & ICS
SABA, ICS & LABA
SABA, ICS, LABA and a 4th drug - very severe
In acute attacks: 40-60% O2, salbutamol neb +/- ipratropium neb, prednisolone+/- hydrocortisone, ABGs, CXR
What is the cause of extrinsic allergic alveolitis?
It is due to the inhalation of a number of different antigens, the most common are microbial spores contaminating vegetable matter (e.g. straw hay in Farmer’s lung)
What is the pathophysiology of EAA?
Widespread, diffuse inflammation in the small airways and alveoli. There is initial infiltration by neutrophils followed by T lymphocytes and macrophages. There are also small, non-caseating granulomas.
What are the symptoms of EAA?
Fever, malaise, cough, shortness of breath several hours after exposure
What are the signs of EAA?
Fever, tachypnoea, coarse-end inspiratory crackles and wheezes, cyanosis caused by V/Q mismatch. In chronic illness - weight loss, effort dyspnoea and cough.
What tests are done to diagnose EAA?
CXR - fluffy nodular shadowing
CT chest - ground glass opacity
Lung function tests - Restrictive ventilatory defect
Polymorphonuclear leukocyte count is increased in acute cases; precipitating antibodies
Increased T lymphocytes and granulocytes on bronchoalveolar lavage
What is the treatment for EAA?
Avoid the provoking allergen.
Prednisolone 30-60mg daily may help to control symptoms
What is the definition of occupational lung disease?
A wide range of respiratory conditions caused by inhaling a harmful substance in the workplace
How are occupational lung diseases prevented?
Preventing occupational lung disease is a legal requirement under COSHH. Can prevent or minimise exposures to harmful substances by elimination, substitution, engineering controls and respiratory protective equipment (RPE).
What are some of the causes of bronchiectasis?
Post-infective, congenital, loss of surrounding lung volumes, inhaled irritants, obstruction lesion, rheumatoid arthritis, IBD, connective tissue diseases, asthma, post-transplant and post-radiotherapy.
What is the pathophysiology of bronchiectasis?
Chronic inflammation is compounded by an inability to clear mucoid secretions which leads to permanent enlargement of parts of the airway.
What are the symptoms of bronchiectasis?
Cough, dyspnoea, chest pain, recurrent exacerbations and a long recovery time
What are the signs of bronchiectasis?
Haemoptysis, rarely pyrexial, finger clubbing, crepitations, deterioration in control of a previously stable lung condition.
What tests are used to diagnose bronchiectasis?
Spirometry - obstructive pattern
Sputum culture
CXR
High resolution CT
Immunology - functional antibodies, immunoglobulins
Bronchoscopy - rare
Functional ciliary investigations - specialist centres only
What is the treatment for bronchiectasis?
Improve mucus clearance - chest physio, mucolytics, hypertonic saline nebs, ?inhaled mannitol
Anti-microbial therapy
Anti-inflammatories - inhaled steroids and macrolide antibiotics
Bronchodilators
Embolisation of major haemoptysis
Thoracic surgery - very rare
What is the cause of cystic fibrosis?
A defect in the long arm of chromosome 7 coding for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) protein; delta F508 is the most common mutation (severe phenotype)
What is the pathophysiology involved in cystic fibrosis?
CFTR is a transport protein (chloride and thiocyanate ions) on epithelial cells. An abnormal CFTR results in dysregulated epithelial fluid transport leading to thickened secretions.
What are the symptoms of cystic fibrosis?
Poor growth, poor weight gain, frequent chest infections, coughing, dyspnoea
What are the signs of cystic fibrosis?
Meconium ileus in newborns, fatty stools, haemoptysis, pulmonary hypertension, hypoxia, nasal polyps, rectal prolapse, finger clubbing
What are the diagnostic tests for cystic fibrosis?
Genetic testing, sweat testing (increased NaCl in the sweat), clinical diagnosis (chronic sinopulmonary disease, GI and nutritional disorders, salt loss syndromes, male urogenital abnormalities)
What is the treatment for cystic fibrosis?
Prevention (hygiene, flu & pneumococcal vaccines) Segregation from other CF patients Prophylaxis - antibiotics Surveillance - annual review (nasal swab, cough swab and sputum sample) Eradication - high dose targeted combination antibiotics Suppression Aggressive treatment Anti-inflammatories Chest physio Supporting therapies Nutritional support Bilateral lung transplant
What is the classification of interstitial lung diseases?
Associated with systemic diseases e.g. Rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, vascular AVMs
Caused by environmental triggers e.g. drugs, fungal, dusts
Granulomatous disease e.g. Sarcoid, Wegener’s granulomatous vasculitis
Idiopathic e.g. idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, non-specific interstitial pneumonia, desquamative interstitial pneumonia, cryptogenic organising pneumonia
Other - lymphangiolyomyomatosis, eosinophilic pneumonia
What are the symptoms of interstitial lung diseases?
Cough, dyspnoea, constitutional symptoms
What are the signs of interstitial lung diseases?
Finger clubbing, fine end inspiratory crepitations
What are the diagnostic tests for interstitial lung diseases?
CXR - lung size, distribution of abnormalities, size and shape of abnormalities, confluent shadows, pleural disease and lymphadenopathy
Lung function tests - Restrictive pattern, reduced gas transfer, low/normal PaO2
Bloods - FBC, U&Es, total IgE, ACE, ANA, ENA, dsDNA, rheumatoid factor, ANCA
High resolution CT
Broncho-alveolar lavage
Lung biopsy
What is the treatment for interstitial lung diseases?
Transplant is the only treatment known to extend survival in IPF
Stop smoking
Some patients may need steroids
What is the aetiology of sarcoidosis?
Unknown
What is the pathophysiology involved in sarcoidosis?
Granulomatous inflammation is characterised primarily by an accumulation of monocytes, macrophages and activated T cells. Typical sarcoid granulomas consist of focal accumulations of epithelioid cells, macrophages and lymphocytes, mainly T cells.
What are the symptoms of sarcoidosis?
Fatigue, lack of energy, weight loss, joint aches and pains, arthritis, dry eyes, swelling of the knees, blurry vision, dyspnoea, dry hacking cough
What are the signs of sarcoidosis?
Bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy, erythema nodosum, plaques, pulmonary infliltration
What are the diagnostic tests for sarcoidosis?
Sarcoidosis is a diagnosis of exclusion. Diagnosis is made through clinical features, CXR (bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy), radiology and biopsy (not necessarily a lung biopsy)
What is the treatment for sarcoidosis?
NSAIDs, glucocorticoids, antimetabolites e.g. azathioprine, corticosteroids, infliximab and other anti-TNF agents
How is pulmonary hypertension defined?
A mean pulmonary arterial pressure of >25 mmHg at rest or >30 mmHg during exercise
What causes pulmonary hypertension?
COPD, pulmonary vascular disorders e.g. stenosis, MSK disorders (e.g. kyphoscoliosis), disturbance of respiratory control, cardiac disorders and SLE
What is the pathophysiology involved in pulmonary hypertension?
There is a narrowing of blood vessels connected to and within the lungs leading to hypertrophy of the right ventricle and RV failure.
What are the symptoms of pulmonary hypertension?
Dyspnoea, fatigue, chest pain, palpitations, pain, poor appetite, lightheadedness, syncope and swelling
What are the signs of pulmonary hypertension?
Cyanosis, oedema, haemoptysis, accentuated pulmonary component of the second heart sound, right ventricular third heart sound, parasternal heave
What tests are used to diagnose pulmonary hypertension?
Pulmonary function tests, CXR, bloods, ECG, ABG, echo and high resolution CT. Right heart catheterisation can confirm pulmonary hypertension.
What is the treatment for pulmonary hypertension?
To optimise left ventricle function - diuretics, digoxin, antiplatelets, sildenafil to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension
What is a pulmonary effusion?
An excessive accumulation of fluid in the pleural space.
It can be detected on CXR when >300ml of fluid; can be detected clinically when >500ml of fluid.
What is the aetiology of pulmonary effusion?
Transudate - heart failure, hypoproteinaemia, constrictive pericarditis
Exudates - bacterial pneumonia, carcinoma of the bronchus, pulmonary infarction, TB, mesothelioma and sarcoidosis