What is COPD? Who is at Risk For COPD?

Symptoms
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary • Most common risk is people who • Shortness of breath especially
Disease (COPD) is a long-term lung smoke: with physical exertion
condition that makes breathing difficult. o Cigarettes • Wheezing
COPD is an umbrella term used when o Pipes • Chest tightness
someone has either Emphysema, o Other smoking tobacco • Chronic cough that may produce
Chronic Bronchitis, or both. • People exposed to secondhand sputum
Emphysema is a disease that is smoke • Blueness of the lips or nailbeds
characterized by destruction of the • Workers exposed to: • Unintended weight loss
damage to the alveolar walls (air sacs in o Dusts • Fatigue
the lungs) that leads to large permeant o Chemicals • Frequent respiratory infections
inflated alveoli. The alveoli can’t absorb o Vapors • Barrell chest
oxygen as well decreasing the oxygen o Irritants • Swelling of legs, ankles and feet
levels in the blood. The damaged alveoli o Fumes
make the lung stretch out and they lose o pollutants Diagnosis
their elasticity causing air to get trapped • Those who have experienced • Lung Function Test:
in the lungs. This doesn't allow the air to repeated lung infections o Measure the amount of air
you inhale and exhale and if
be breathed out cause shortness of • People with a genetic pre-
breath. your lungs are delivery
disposition:
Chronic Bronchitis is a disease enough oxygen to your
o Asthma
characterized by inflammation of the lungs
o Alpha 1 anti-trypsin
bronchi that presents with a productive deficiency • Chest X-ray
cough and excessive mucus production • Aging people • CT Scan
due to a loss of cilia. It makes it harder • Arterial Blood Gas Analysis:
to get rid of mucus. Smoking combined with any of o Measures how well your
COPD if treated right, diagnosed these risk factors increases the risk lungs are bringing oxygen
early, and with patient and family of developing COPD greatly. into your blood and
education is a condition that will still removing carbon dioxide
allow people to live normal and active • Alpha 1 Anti-Trypsin Deficiency
lives. Testing
 Treatments
• Smoking cessation
• Oxygen Therapy (limited
amounts)
• Bronchodilators
Chronic Obstructive • Corticosteroids
• Antibiotics

Pulmonary Disease • Chest physiotherapy

• Increased hydration
• Lung transplant
• Pursed lip breathing
• Vaccines (prevent sickness)

Complications
• Lung infections
o COPD makes it harder to
fight off infections
o Having an infection makes it
harder to breathe
• Collapsed lung (pneumothorax)
• Poor gas exchange
o Can causes too little oxygen
and a buildup of carbon
dioxide
• Heart Problems
o Due to the low oxygen
levels it can cause narrow
arteries and higher blood
pressure