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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), also known as chronic obstructive airway diseases (COAD), is a term for a group of illness like chronic bronchitis, emphysema and a range of other lung disorders. COPD obstructs airflow circulation, which results to air becoming trapped in the lungs. It affects around 14- 18% of people aged 40 and above, and is usually caused by smoking, and airborne irritants such as solvents, and congenital conditions. COPD globally affects around 80 million people, and its predicted that by 2030, it will be the 4th largest worldwide disease killer.
Symptoms:
·dyspnea (shortness of breath) persisting for months to years
·wheezing,
·a persistent cough with sputum production which may contain blood (hemoptysis)
·cyanosis- turning blue usually in the lips and fingers, due to a lack of oxygen in the blood.
·tachypnea (rapid breathing)
·shortness of breath (dyspnea)
The general treatments used to treat COPD are: Short or Long acting Bronchodilator Inhalers, Steroid Inhalers, Bronchodilator tablets, Steroid tablets, Mucolytic medecine, Antibiotics, Oxygen, Surgery
Early diagnosis and treatment usually results in a good prognosis of COPD.Lung function should initially improve in most patients once treatment has started, however as COPD progresses, the symptoms get worse due to poor lung function and carbon dioxide volume being quite high in the blood. Oxygen therapy and other treatments may successfully be used in curable diseases like bronchitis, and can be used to prolong COPD patient’s life a bit longer. However a COPD patient’s death can also occur from respiratory failure, pneumonia, or other complications, so predicting a COPD patient’s prognosis can be difficult.
Diagnosis can only be confirmed utilising a combination of tests like:
·physical examination
·spirometer ( measuring the lung to see if there is a loss of lung function),
·breathing and air intake exercises
·chest x-rays- these can show an over-expanded lung (hyperinflation) and a flattened diaphragm andmay show emphysema
·blood test- these may show low levels of oxygen (hypoxemia) and high levels of carbon dioxide (respiratory acidosis).
·pulmonary function tests show decreased airflow rates while exhaling and over-expanded lungs.
Famous people get COPD to: Elizabeth Dawn MBE (better known as Liz Dawn, best known for her role as Vera Duckworth in the long running British soap opera, Coronation Street.
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