Respiratory - SOB Flashcards
A 59 year old female with a 30 pack year history presents with progressive SOB and a productive cough. O/E you hear an audible wheeze.
a) Pulmonary oedema
b) Asthma
c) Pneumonia
d) Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
e) COPD
e) COPD
- older (less likely to be asthma)
- long history of smoking (biggest RF)
- progressive SOB, productive cough & audible wheeze - all classical features
A 27 year old female of Afrocaribbean origin presents with SOB that has come on over the last few months. She says it is increasingly difficult to complete her morning runs. O/E you notice tender, erythematous nodules on both her shins.
a) Sarcoidosis
b) Asthma
c) Pneumonia
d) Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
e) Pulmonary embolism
a) Sarcoidosis
- female
- aged 20-40
- Afro-Caribbean > Caucasian
- Progressive SOB
- erythema nodosum
(reduced exercise tolerance could be asthma or IPF but other features fit sarcoidosis)
A gentleman presents with acute breathlessness.
O/E his respiratory rate is 25bpm with good air entry in all fields. His ECG shows right axis deviation.
a) Pneumothorax
b) Pulmonary oedema
c) Pneumonia
d) Pleural effusion
e) Pulmonary embolism
e) Pulmonary embolism
- ACUTE onset SOB
- Tachypnoea
- ECG: RAD - classic
A 62 year old male presents with an 8 month history of exertional dyspnoea and a non-productive cough.
a) Sarcoidosis
b) Bronchogenic carcinoma
c) Pulmonary oedema
d) Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
e) COPD
d) Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- > 60yo, M>F
- Progressive SOB (8/12)
- Dry cough
5) A 70 year old woman presents with fevers, SOB and right sided pleuritic chest pain. O/E the right side of her chest shows reduced expansion and dull percussion.
a) Pneumothorax
b) Bronchogenic carcinoma
c) Pneumonia
d) Pleural effusion
e) Pulmonary oedema
c) Pneumonia
- SOB, fever, CP
- reduced expansion
- dull percussion
Definition of COPD + its components
A progressive disorder of the lower respiratory tract characterized by airway obstruction with little or no reversibility
Chronic bronchitis + emphysema
Clinical diagnosis of chronic bronchitis?
Cough & sputum production on most days for 3 months of 2 successive years
Features of emphysema?
Enlarged air spaces distal to terminal bronchioles
Destruction of alveolar walls
(+ histological features)
Reversibility in COPD and asthma?
COPD is non-reversible
Asthma is reversible
How is severity of COPD MEASURED?
Measured by post-bronchodilator FEV1 and then classified as % of predicted
How is severity of COPD CLASSIFIED?
Classified as % of predicted FEV1 (in healthy individual):
Mild >79%
Moderate 50-79%
Severe 30-49%
Very severe <30%
What is FEV1?
FEV1 is the volume of air that can forcibly be blown out in one second, after full inspiration
What do average values (in healthy people) of FEV1 depend on?
Age, sex, height, (mass, ethinicity)
Aetiology of COPD?
Smoking (90% of cases) Occupational exposure (indoor air pollution, dusts, chemicals) Alpha-1 antitripsin deficiency
Patophysiology of chronic bronchitis?
Inflammation of bronchi -> scarring and thickening of bronchial walls + increased mucus -> small airway narrowing
Patophysiology of emphysema?
Proteases breakdown connective tissue of alveolar walls and septae -> loss of lung recoil -> limited expiratory flow + air trapping
What is Alpha-1 antitripsin deficiency?
Autosomal recessive disorder
a1at inhibits neutrophil elastase (a protease). If you have a deficiency of it then lungs become damaged by neutrophil elastase. You can also have GI symptoms:
cirrhosis, cholestatic jaundice
COPD: What are the causes and consequences of air trapping?
Cause: emphysema (causing loss of lung recoil)
Consequences: increased TLC -> hyperinflation and breathlessness
(also breakdown of alveoli in emphysema leads to decreased capacity of gas transfer)
Symptoms of COPD?
3 main ones
- Productive cough
- Wheeze
- Breathlessness
(also HTN, osteoporosis, depression, cachexia)
Worsening SOB, increased sputum/ change in sputum colour?
Acute/ Infectious exacerbation of COPD