Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, better known as COPD, is a disease that affects a person’s ability to breathe normal. COPD is a combination of two major lung diseases: emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Bronchitis affects the bronchioles and emphysema affects the alveoli.
To better understand how COPD affects an individual you should first know how the lungs function. When you breathe in air it first goes through your trachea then into your bronchioles. Once in the bronchioles the air goes to the air sacs called alveoli. In the alveoli, the gas exchange occurs with the capillaries. Gas exchange is when the oxygen enters the bloodstream and carbon dioxide enters the alveoli. During the breathing process, alveoli will inflate when inhaling and deflate while exhaling.
As mentioned above, emphysema affects the alveoli. When you develop emphysema the symptoms may go unnoticed for many years. With emphysema, your alveoli lose their elasticity and that makes it harder for the body to dispel the carbon dioxide. Also, the alveoli will eventually rupture and develop into one larger air sac. (Mayo Clinic)
Nhlbi.nih.gov
Chronic bronchitis differs from emphysema in that it affects the bronchioles. There are two forms of bronchitis: chronic and acute. We are going to focus on chronic bronchitis. In this disease, the bronchioles become thick and inflamed. The affected person might cough up thick mucus which can also block the bronchioles.
Medicinenet.com
Having emphysema and bronchitis together is known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Symptoms will include:
dyspnea
chest tightness
frequent coughing
blue/gray lips and fingernails
wheezing
In the United States, COPD is the third leading cause of deat...
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...diopaedia.org)
Smile.org.au
(Lateral chest: Barrel Chest; PA chest: severe case of bullous emphysema)
To determine whether or not you should be tested for COPD you should consider the following items:
• history of smoking
• long-term exposure to second-hand smoke
• chronic coughing
• wheezing
• worsening dyspnea
Symptoms worsen faster for people with COPD that go undiagnosed and untreated. It is important if someone is experiencing symptoms of COPD that they get tested right away. (Copdfoundation.org)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a lung disease that affects millions of United States citizens. It is the third leading cause of death because there is no cure for the disease. The best way to fight COPD is to make sure that people that have high risk factors, such as smoking and AATD get tested immediately to slow down the process of the disease.
Mrs. Jones has a history of COPD. She was already taking albuterol for her illness and it was ineffective when she took it that day. Mrs. Jones had been a smoker but had quit several years ago. According to Chojnowski (2003), smoking is a major causative factor in the development of COPD. Mrs. Jones's primary provider stated that she had a mixed type of COPD. The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) was established to address the growing problem of COPD. The GOLD standards identify three conditions that contribute to the structural changes found in COPD: Chronic bronchiolitis, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. A mixed diagnosis means that the patient has a combination of these conditions (D., Chojnowski, 2003). Mrs. Jones chronically displayed the characteristic symptoms of COPD. "The characteristic symptoms are cough, sputum production, dyspnea on exertion, and decreased exercise tolerance." (D., Chojnowski, 2003, p. 27).
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is a group of progressive lung diseases that block airflow and make it hard to breathe. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the most common types of COPD (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2016, p 557). Primary symptoms include coughing, mucus, chest pain, shortness of breath, and wheezing (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2016, p.557). COPD develops slowly and worsens over time if not treated during early stages. The disease has no cure, but medication and disease management can slow its progress and make one feel better (NIH, 2013)
Patients often have complex care needs, and often present with multiple co-morbidities or problems. The process of conducting a comprehensive nursing assessment, and the coordination of care based on these findings is central to the role of the Registered Nurse (NMBA 2006). Evidence-based interventions must then be planned and implemented in a patient-centred approach in order to achieve agreed treatment goals and optimise health (Brown & Edwards 2012).
Emphysema’s target is the lungs. The inflammation caused by emphysema damages the alveoli, or air sacs. Over time, the air sacs lose their elasticity, no longer able to expand and detract like your favorite Thanksgiving elastic waist band pants. After so many Thanksgiving dinners, the elastic fibers break, and fai...
Carone M, D. C. ( 2007). Clinical Challenges In COPD[e-book]. (Oxford: Clinical Pub) Retrieved March 24, 2014, from (EBSCOhost).
Acute illnesses are not life-altering unless they are not treated. If left untreated, it may then lead into a chronic illness. A chronic illness is when the symptoms go on for a long period of time. Some examples are: arthritis, multiple sclerosis, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Chronic illnesses
Every cell in the human body requires oxygen to function, and the lungs make that oxygen available. With every breath we take, air travels to the lungs through a series of tubes and airways. After passing through the mouth and throat, air moves through the larynx, commonly known as the voice box, and then through the trachea, or windpipe. The trachea divides into two branches, called the right bronchus and the left bronchus, that connect directly to the lungs. Air continues through the bronchi, which divide into smaller and smaller air passages in the lungs, called bronchioles. The bronchioles end in clusters of tiny air sacs, called alveoli, which are surrounded by tiny, thin-walled blood vessels called capillaries.
The leading cause of death in America is lung cancer. Lung cancer is ranked top 10 fatal cancers in the United States. There are many types of ways to get lung cancer. There is radon gas it occurs outdoors naturally. Then there is second hand smoke that comes from other people smoking. People are even getting lung cancer from cancer causing agents, this happens from carcinogens. You can also get it from air pollution indoors and outdoors. Also there are gene-mutations that form cancer causing cells. Then there is the one everyone blamed lung cancer is smoking.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a lung disease that affects breathing. This disease is one that blocks or obstructs air flow which then affects the way that one breathes. It diminishes the capability of airflow in and out of the lungs. COPD is the term used for a group of different diseases that affect the lungs. The two most common types of COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Emphysema is a destruction of the small bronchioles in the lungs and chronic bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes. Both emphysema and chronic bronchitis are obstructive diseases that impact breathing in a negative manner. (COPD, 2014)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is preventable disease that has a detrimental effects on both the airway and lung parenchyma (Nazir & Erbland, 2009). COPD categorises emphysema and chronic bronchitis, both of which are characterised by a reduced maximum expiratory flow and slow but forced emptying of the lungs (Jeffery 1998). The disease has the one of the highest number of fatalities in the developed world due to the ever increasing amount of tobacco smokers and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality (Marx, Hockberger & Walls, 2014). Signs and symptoms that indicate the presence of the disease include a productive cough, wheezing, dyspnoea and predisposing risk factors (Edelman et al., 1992). The diagnosis of COPD is predominantly based on the results of a lung function assessment (Larsson, 2007). Chronic bronchitis is differentiated from emphysema by it's presentation of a productive cough present for a minimum of three months in two consecutive years that cannot be attributed to other pulmonary or cardiac causes (Marx, Hockberger & Walls, 2014) (Viegi et al., 2007). Whereas emphysema is defined pathologically as as the irreversible destruction without obvious fibrosis of the lung alveoli (Marx, Hockberger & Walls, 2014) (Veigi et al., 2007).It is common for emphysema and chronic bronchitis to be diagnosed concurrently owing to the similarities between the diseases (Marx, Hockberger & Walls, 2014).
Parker, Steve. "Chronic Pulmonary Diseases." The Human Body Book. New ed. New York: DK Pub., 2007.
Vijayan, V. K. (2013). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Indian Journal Of Medical Research, 137(2), 251-269.
The topic that I will be focusing on for this assignment is on the screening of lung cancer, since this is one of the most controversial debates all across the world. The significance of this topic is that when it comes to lung cancer screening, many individuals may or may not abide by it. There are many reasons to why individuals may not want to have their screening done for lung cancer. The top two reasons are that the screening itself is expensive and secondly, the results that they get from the screening may not be accurate. Imagine, if the results came up as a positive, for the ones who really do not have lung cancer, the amount of pain, time and money that they have put into the curing of lung cancer, is painful. At the same, time it is not fair for them to go through this much, when they actually do not have lung cancer. In this paper, I will discuss how lung cancer screening is a controversial issue and why it impacts us as a society and what problems that the family members, friends and medical doctors have to face if something does goes wrong.. Here is a portion of my essay that will appear on the final copy of my essay.
Asthma is a disease that currently has no cure and can only be controlled and managed through different treatment methods. If asthma is treated well it can prevent the flare up of symptoms such as coughing, diminish the dependence on quick relief medication, and help to minimize asthma attacks. One of the key factors to successful treatment of asthma is the creation of an asthma action plan with the help of a doctor that outlines medications and other tasks to help control the patient’s asthma ("How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?"). The amount of treatment changes based on the severity of the asthma when it is first diagnosed and may be the dosage may be increased or decreased depending on how under control the patient’s asthma is. One of the main ways that asthma can be controlled is by becoming aware of the things that trigger attacks. For instance staying away from allergens such as pollen, animal fur, and air pollution can help minimize and manage the symptoms associated with asthma. Also if it is not possible to avoid the allergens that cause a patient’s asthma to flare up, they may need to see an allergist. These health professionals can help diagnosis what may need to be done in other forms of treatment such as allergy shots that can help decrease the severity of the asthma ("How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?").
The roles of the circulatory and respiratory system both carry important responsibilities and are essential in their jobs to the human body. The circulatory system is one, if not the, most important system in the human body. The circulatory system is made up of the heart, blood, and blood vessels. Within the blood vessels, there are three types: arteries, veins, and capillaries. The heart is an organ made up of cardiac muscle that has a role similar to a pump. When the muscles in the heart contract, it pumps fresh blood away from the heart, through a main artery called the aorta, and to the organs and cells of the body. Nutrients and oxygen then enter the cells through diffusion of the tissues. The respiratory system transports oxygen to the circulatory system. When transporting oxygen to the circulatory system, this will in turn transport oxygen to the rest of the cells in the body. Aside from transporting oxygen to the body, the respiratory system also plays a role in the removal of carbon dioxide and other contaminants in the body. These two systems effectively and efficiently work together in order to supply the body with oxygen and remove carbon dioxide and any other