PLASMA UNIVERSITY

Faculty of Nurse
Semester VII
Course Name
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY II

Lecturer : Dr: Ahmed Dheere Amc

MBBS , PLASMA UNIVERSITY
Chronic bronchitis &
Emphysema
 Chronic Bronchitis
 Bronchitis: is an inflammation of the
lining of the bronchial tubes that results in
excessive secretions of mucus into the
tubes, leading to tissue swelling that can
narrow or close off bronchial tubes.
 People with chronic bronchitis will
eventually develop emphysema.
 Bronchitis can be either be cute or
chronic .
 Acute bronchitis is caused by a viral or
bacterial infection and is usually a short
term illness.
 Chronic bronchitis results from irritation of
lining of the bronchi and bronchioles by
dust, fumes, atmospheric pollution and
most significantly tars in tobacco smoke.
 Chronic bronchitis causes excessive
amount of sticky mucus to build up in the
airways , restricting amount of airflow in
and out of the lungs. Results to breathing
difficulties.
Pathophysiology of Chronic
Bronchitis and Emphysema
 Pathophysiology of
Chronic Airflow Limitation
 Symptoms of Bronchitis
 Inflammation of mucus membrane of airways
 Excessive production of mucus from the goblet cells .
 Sputum production, the sputum may be yellow,
green, white,. Or occasionally blood – tinged.
 Shortness of breath ( dyspnea ).
 Wheezing ( a coarse whistling sound produced when
airways are partially obstructed )
 Heavy coughs
 Nasal congestion
 Causes of bronchitis
 The main causes is cigarette smoking
 Inhaled irritants , such as smog, industrial
pollutants, and solvents.
 Viral and bacterial infections.
 Underlying disease processes, such as
asthma and cystic fibrosis.
 Diagnosing chronic bronchitis

 Chest x-ray
 Sputum (mucus coughed up from the
lunges, to tested on analyzing presence of
bacteria )
 Pulmonary function test( check for signs of
asthma or emphysema by measuring how
well you are able to breathe)
 CT scan , high resolution x-rays of the
body from various angles.
 Treatment and prevention
 Medical treatment
 Bronchodilator( for example albuterol) medicine
that opens the airways in your lungs by relaxing
the smooth muscles that encircle the bronchi.
 Steroids ( example: prednisone) reduces the
inflammatory reaction and thus decreased the
bronchial swelling and secretions of mucus.
 Improve breathing and overall well-being
 Supplemental oxygen therapy
 Give antibiotic drug
 Over- the- counter( OCT) cough
suppressants such as dextromethorphan
 Prevention
 Life style changes
 quit smoking
 physical activity to strengthen the muscle
and help breathing
 Flu and pneumococcal vaccines to prevent repeated
infections
 Avoiding air-borne chemicals and dust with
appropriate masks
 EMPHYSEMA
 Emphysema: is long -term progressive disease
that gradually damages the air sacs(alveoli) in the
lungs, causing shortness of breath.
 In emphysematous lungs the elastic fibers are
damaged, when air enters the alveolus stretch
but are unable to recoil, trapping old air, leaving
no room for fresh one.
 Bronchioles become inflamed and scarred leaving
a narrower lumen.
 Symptoms of emphysema

 Chronic cough
 Blue skin coloration

 Difficult in breathing

 wheezing
 Causes of emphysema
 Cigarette smoking is the most dangerous
behavior that causes development of
emphysema
 Smoke causes mucous secretion increase
degrease ability to clear the secretions
 Mucous that build up traps bacteria and
other irritants causing infection.
 Immune system releases destructive
enzyme , leads to loss of protein
responsible for keeping the lunges elastic
 Alpha1 anti-trypsin deficiency cause
inability to fight destructive effects of
trypsin when released in the lungs, lunge
tissue slowly destroyed , degreasing the
ability of the lungs to preform
appropriately.
 Diagnosing emphysema
 Chest x-ray
 Lung function test – involve having you
breathe in to a tube connected to a
computer or monitoring device that
measures how much air your lungs can
hold, how quickly lungs can expel air
during expiration.
 Lab tests( blood test for white cell count,
and atrial blood gas)
Treatment and prevention
 Medical treatment
 Bronchodilating medications-( albuterol),
ipratropium bromide ( atrovent),
theophylline, keeps air passageways open.
 Steroid medications ( decrease
inflammation in the body)
 Antibiotic
 Supplemental oxygen
 Prevention
 Life style change
stop smoking
exercise regularly
 Avoid respiratory irritants
 Getting vaccination to prevent respiratory
infections
Any