Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Essay

Respiratory disease and illness can be debilitating as it affects the ability of an individual to perform daily activities. Breathing is one of the basic life functions that we often take for granted. Whether it is a chronic illness or an acute respiratory infection, understand the disease process, causative factors, and ways to optimize and prevent exacerbations enable an individual to live to the fullest.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a general term that encompasses disease processes such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis which is a chronic inflammatory process that restricts airflow into the lungs. Noxious particles or gases cause an inflammatory response in the lung resulting in recruitment of macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes to the lung, leading to progressive damage from oxidative stress, inflammation, extracellular matrix proteolysis (breakdown of cellular proteins), and apoptosis (cell changes)

Once the bacteria enter the respiratory system it attracts neutrophils which ignite an inflammatory response by releasing inflammatory mediators. At this point there is an accumulation of fibrinous exudate, red blood cells, bacteria, and edematous fluid giving the tissue a red appearance (McCance & Heuther, 2016). This results in a “consolidation” in the lung tissue and alveolar edema which makes oxygen exchange difficult in the affected lobe(s). Fibrin and neutrophils are then deposited over the pleural surfaces and phagocytosis begins creating a gray tissue appearance (McCance & Heuther, 2016). The final stage is the resolution where macrophages appear and digest the fibrin and remaining bacteria. Damage to tissue and subsequent inflammation in pneumococcal pneumonia initiates an innate and adaptive immune response which aids in future encounters with the