Signs and Symptoms of Respiratory Disease

Question 1

What are the six cardinal symptoms of respiratory disease?

Answer 1

1) Breathlessness
2) Cough
3) Chest pain
4) Wheeze/stridor
5) Sputum
6) Haemoptysis

Question 2

What sorts of things are relevant in a respiratory history?

Answer 2

Breathlessness, cough, chest pain, sputum etc

Occupation, smoking status, childhood illnesses, pets, travel, medication, psychosocial factors

Question 3

What are some common causes of dyspnoea?

Answer 3

Asthma, COPD, HF, anaemia, obesity, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Question 4

What could be the cause of instantaneous dyspnoea?

Answer 4

Pulmonary embolism, pneumothorax

Question 5

What could be the cause of acute dyspnoea? (minutes to hours)

Answer 5

Asthma, PE, pneumonia, LVF/MI

Question 6

What could be the cause of gradual dyspnoea?

Answer 6

Lobar collapse, pleural effusion

Question 7

What could be the cause of chronic dyspnoea?

Answer 7

COPD, bronchiectasis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Question 8

What is the most common cause of bronchiectasis?

Answer 8

Cystic fibrosis

persistent chronic inflammation leads to loss of elastin in the bronchi which then dilate

Question 9

What are some common respiratory causes of a cough?

Answer 9

Viral, bronchopneumonia, bronchiectasis, sinusitis, asthma, COPD, lung cancer, allergy, pneumothorax, pleural effusion

Question 10

Name one class of drugs that is known to produce a dry cough

Answer 10

ACE inhibitors

Question 11

How is chest pain produced by pericarditis relieved?

Answer 11

By sitting forward

Question 12

What is a wheeze?

Answer 12

A noisy musical sound produced by turbulent flow through narrow small airways - mostly expiratory

Question 13

What conditions is a wheeze seen in?

Answer 13

Asthma, COPD, bronchiolitis, LVF

Question 14

What is stridor?

Answer 14

A coarse inspiratory wheee caused by extrathoracic upper airways obstruction

Question 15

What are some causes of haemoptysis?

Answer 15

Pneumonia, TB, bronchiectasis, bronchitis, lung cancer, PE

Question 16

What are some respiratory causes of clubbing?

Answer 16

Lung cancer, mesothelioma, bronchiectasis, empyema, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Question 17

Why does pursed lip breathing help COPD patients?

Answer 17

Creates back-pressure inside airways to splint them open; moving air thus takes less work.

Stops alveoli getting so small that it’s too difficult to take the next breath

Question 18

Why do emphysema patients get a barrel chest?

Answer 18

Loss of elastin in the lung allows the chest wall to expand

Question 19

What causes tracheal deviation away from the affected side?

Answer 19

Tension pneumothorax, large pleural effusion

Question 20

What causes tracheal deviation towards the affected side?

Answer 20

Lung collapse, pulmonary fibrosis

Question 21

What is the commonest cause of consolidation?

Answer 21

Pneumonia