Respiratory II Flashcards
Chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease is charcterized by?
1) Decreased (↓) FEV [Forced Expiratory Volume]
2) ** Decreased FVC** [Forced Vital Capacity]
3) Decreased FEV : FVC ratio
*The “opposite” of Restrictive Pulmonary Disease
Group of diseases causing chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD)
1) Emphysema
2) Chronic Bronchitis
3) Bronchial Asthma
Types of Asthma
1) Extrinsic (immune):
–> Mediated by type I hypersensitivity response
(IgE binding to mast cells)
–> Begin in childhood
–> Patients with a family history of allergy
2) Intrinsic (non-immune):
–> Association with chronic bronchitis, and exerciseor cold-induced asthma
–> Begin in adult life
–> NO history of allergy
Histopathologic findings:
Smooth muscle hypertrophy of the bronchi
Hyperplasia of bronchial submucosal glands and
goblet cells
Thickening and hyalinisation of basement membranes
Proliferation of eosinophils
Airways plugged by viscid mucous containing
Curschmann spirals (whorl-like accumulations of epithelial cells) and Charcot-Leyden crystals
(crystaloids of eosinophil-derived proteins)
Are the features of what condition?
Bronchial Asthma
Clinical features of Asthma
1) Dyspnoea
2) Wheezing aspirtation (due to stenosis of the airways)
Complications of Bronchial Asthma
1) Superimposed infection
2) Chronic Bronchitis
3) Pulmonary Emphysema
4) Status asthmaticus:
* Prolonged bouts of asthma
* Lasts days
* Unresponsive to therapy
* Death
———————- :Persistent productive cough that
occurs during at least three consecutive months over
at least two consecutive years
Chronic Bronchitis
causes of Chronic Bronchitis
1) Cigarette smoking
2) Air-pollution
3) Infection
4) Genetic factors
Pathogenisis of Chronic Bronchitis
1) Causative agents (environmental irritants) : - Hypertrophy of mucous glands (trachea and main bronchi) +
-Increase in mucin-secreting goblet cells
–> Inflammation with infiltration of CD8+ lymphocytes, macrophages and neutrophils
2) airflow obstruction –> Small airway disease (goblet cell metaplasia, mucous plugging of the bronchiolar lumen,inflammation, bronchiolar wall fibrosis), Coexistent emphysema
Clinical features of Chronic Bronchitis
1) Prominent productive cough
2) Production of sputum
3) Development of COPD with outflow obstruction:
- Hypercapnia
- Hypoxaemia
- Cyanosis (“Blue bloaters”)
Complications of Chronic Bronchitis
1) Pulmonary Hypertension –> Cor pulmonale –>
Cardiac failure
2) Recurrent infections and Respiratory failure
Chronic Bronchitis is Charecterised by?
Cyanosis “BLUE BLOATERS”
Macroscopic features:
- Hyperaemic and swollen (by edema fluid) mucosal
lining of the larger airways
- Covering of the mucosa by a layer of mucinous or
muco-purulent secretions
are the features of what Condition?
Chronic Bronchitis
Microscopic findings:
* Hypertrophy of the mucous-secreting glands (Reid index: Ratio thickness of submucosal gland layer to thickness of the bronchial wall >0.4)
*** Mainly, mononuclear inflammatory cells, but
admixed with variable numbers of neutrophils **
Airway obstruction caused by:
- Goblet cell metaplasia
- Mucous plugging
- Inflammation
- Fibrosis
Are the features of what condition?
Chronic Bronchitis
cause of Emphysema
cigarette smoking
Types of Emphysema
- Centri-acinar (95% of cases)
- Pan-acinar
- Para-septal
- Irregular
Clinical features of Emphysema
1) “Pink puffer” vs. “Blue bloater” (Chronic Bronchitis)
2) ↑ Antero-posterior chest-diameter (“Barrel” chest)
3) ↑ Total vital capacity
4) Hypoxia
5) Cyanosis
6) Respiratory acidosis
cause of Emphysema
- Action of proteolytic enzymes (e.g. elastase) on the
alveolar wall
1) Elastase:
–> Induces destruction of elastin
–> Neutralised by the opposing action of alpha1-
antitrypsin
2) Cigarette smoking:
–> Attracts neutrophils and macrophages (sources of
elastase)
–> Inactivates alpha1-antitrypsin
pathogenisis of Emphysema
↑ in Neutrophil Elastase –> Tissue damage
*caused by tobacco
Complications of Emphysema
1) Chronic Bronchitis
2) Interstitial Emphysema: Tear in the airways
“Leakage” of air into the interstitial tissue of the chest
3) Rupture of a surface bleb (apical bulla) –> Pneumothorax
causes/patho of Interstital Emphysema
cause/Pathology: Coughing + bronchiolar obstruction
–> Sharply increased pressures within the alveolar sacs –> Alveolar tears –> Entrance of air into the lung’s stroma
Other Causes:
1) Wound of the chest –> Entrance of air within the lung substance
2) Fractured rib –> Puncture of the lung parenchyma
Entrance of air within the lung substance
Patho of Bronchiectasis
Destruction of the muscle and elastic tissue, resulting from or associated with chronic necrotising infections
pre-disposing factors of Bronchiectasis
[1) Post-infectious conditions (necrotising pneumonia: caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi)
2) Bronchial obstruction (e.g. tumour)
3) Cystic fibrosis
**4) Kartagener Syndrome **
5) Rheumatoid Arthritis
6) Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
7) inflammatory Bowel Disease
Macroscopic features:
* Dilated airways (4x normal size)
* Lumen of bronchi and bronchioles can be followed
up to the pleural surfaces
*Cut surface of the lung: Appearance of dilated
bronchi as cysts filled with muco-purulent secretions
Are the features of what condition?
Bronchiectasis