COPD is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and is a major cause of disability. Millions of middle aged-adult and older adults are diagnosed with COPD. “Over the past decades chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has become widespread and is now the fourth leading cause of morbidity and mortality on a worldwide basis” (Hellem, Bruugsgaard, & Bergland, 2012, p. 206). This disease is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. As time goes on the symptoms will get worse. Most people with COPD have both emphysema and chronic bronchitis. With emphysema, the walls between many of the air sacs are damaged which reduces the amount of gas exchange in the lungs. With chronic bronchitis, the lining of the airways is constantly irritated and inflamed. This causes the lining to thicken and thick mucus forms in the airways, which makes it hard to breathe.
The leading cause of COPD is cigarette smoking, either people that smoke or used to smoke or had long term exposure to other lung irritants. “There are significant data to suggest that people who smoke are at a much higher risk of developing COPD than people who do not” (Clancy & Turner, 2013, p. 820). Lung irritants include second hand smoke, air pollution, chemical fumes or industrial dust and frequent use of cooking gas or fires without proper ventilation. Symptoms of COPD usually begin at age 40. Smoking is the main risk factor for COPD. People either smoke or used to smoke and smokers who have a family history of this disease are more likely to develop COPD. Asthma, although uncommon, can also cause development of this disease if treatments do not work.
In the beginning, COPD may cause no symptoms or only mild symptoms. As the disease progresses, sympt...
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...e cured, but the course of the disease can be influenced by optimal medical treatment and interprofessional pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), which includes exercise as one of its cornerstones” (Hellem, Bruugsgaard, & Bergland, 2012, p. 206).
Being diagnosed with COPD will have a significant impact on the older adults view on health, death and dying. Because of the impact a diagnosis has on an individuals health and activities of daily living older adults may see this as a time to take control of their health. They may have a new motivation to live healthier, quit smoking and begin exercising. They may feel a new sense of motivation to live longer and be less of a burden to their family. They may believe that by doing so they can make up for their past mistakes and look back on their life with satisfaction and one day die with dignity rather than shame or remorse.
The presented case is of a patient named R.S. who has a smoking history of many years, which can be directly tied to his development of chronic bronchitis, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) specified as Type B. It is estimated that in 90% of chronic bronchitis or “blue bloaters”, cigarette smoking is the major cause. Chronic bronchitis involves persistent and irreversible airway obstruction, due to the constant inflammation of the bronchial mucosa, leading to hypertrophy and hyperplasia of bronchial glands. The latter exposes the individual to higher risks of bacterial infections; often colonization of organisms such as Streptococcus or Staphyloccocus pneumoniae can be exhibited. This is due to the lost or impaired function of mucociliary clearance action which results from the replacement of certain sections of ciliated columnar epithelium by squamous cells in the bronchi. (Copstead &Banasik, 546-547)
R.S. has chronic bronchitis. According to the UC San Francisco Medical Center “Chronic bronchitis is a common type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in which the air passages in the lungs — the bronchi — are repeatedly inflamed, leading to scarring of the bronchi walls. As a result, excessive amounts of sticky mucus are produced and fill the bronchial tubes, which become thickened, impeding normal airflow through the lungs.” (Chronic Bronchitis 2015) There are many things that can be observed as clinical findings. R.S. will have a chronic cough that has lasted from 3 months to two years or more, and a lot of sputum. The sputum is due to
It incorporates dietary advising, exercise training, and mental guiding. There are also numerous surgical treatment alternatives. For example, the removal of nasal polyps that block breathing, oxygen treatment to prevent pulmonary hypertension, endoscopy and lavage to suction mucus from airways, the surgical insertion of a feeding tube may be important to convey supplements while sleeping. In cases where life-threatening lung complexities arise, a lung transplant may be viewed as an option.
This exacerbation of her COPD revealed the need for inhaler re-education. This education holds more importance due to her exacerbation that possibly could have been prevented with proper inhaler use. An education plan should be developed to assess her readiness to learn and to map out a schedule of sessions. Several sessions over an extended period of time with continuous re-evaluations is essential. Research has shown that this approach has better long term outcomes (M., Duerden & D., Price, 2001).
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.
The principle cause of the COPD is long-term exposure to harmful airborne chemicals and particles. The best way for COPD patients to avoid getting worse is to avoid smoking (WebMD, 2016).
Being diagnosed with a chronic illness is a life-altering event. During this time, life is not only difficult for the patient, but also for their loved ones. Families must learn to cope together and to work out the best options for the patient and the rest of the family. Although it may not be fair at times, things may need to be centered on or around the patient no matter what the circumstance. (Abbott, 2003) Sacrifices may have to be made during difficult times. Many factors are involved when dealing with chronic illnesses. Coping with chronic illnesses alter many different emotions for the patients and the loved ones. Many changes occur that are very different and difficult to get used to. (Abbott, 2003) It is not easy for someone to sympathize with you when they haven’t been in the situation themselves. No matter how many books they read or people they talk to, they cannot come close to understanding.
The functioning of the chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) is that it has a permanent decrease in the ability to force air out of the lungs. Consequently, it causes emphysema to become a more advanced disease with no cure. Emphysema is known for their permanent enlargement of the alveoli, which are accompanied by the destruction of the alveolar walls. The lungs lose their elasticity, so it loses its ability to recoil passively during expiration. People who have emphysema becomes exhausted fast because they need about fifteen to twenty percent of their body energy to breath which is more than what a healthy person needs. Smoking inhibits and destroys cilia in the conducting zone structures, which is the line of defense for the respiratory system.
The prevalence of COPD is heavily associated with elderly persons that are predisposed to various risk factors (Viegi et al., 2001). The prevalence of these risk factors is often a major aspect in the diagnosis of the disease, the most detrimental of these being cig...
Vijayan, V. K. (2013). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Indian Journal Of Medical Research, 137(2), 251-269.
There are many ways to categorize illness and disease; one of the most common is chronic illness. Many chronic illnesses have been related to altered health maintenance hypertension and cardiovascular diseases are associated with diet and stress, deficient in exercise, tobacco use, and obesity (Craven 2009). Some researchers define the chronic illness as diseases which have long duration and generally slow development (WHO 2013); it usually takes 6 month or longer than 6 month, and often for the person's life. It has a sluggish onset and eras of reduction for vanishing the symptoms and exacerbation for reappear the symptoms. Some of chronic illness can be directly life-threatening. Others remain over time and need intensive management, such as diabetes, so chronic illness affects physical, emotional, logical, occupational, social, or spiritual functioning. Chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, all of these diseases are the cause of mortality in the world, representing 63% of all deaths. So a chronic illness can be stressful and may change the way a person l...
Health promotion promotes advocacy, enablement and mediation, these actions work together to promote good health, equality in healthcare services, access to healthcare information and promoting healthy choices, it also brings together coordinated action from every party involved: governments, economic, social sector, health sector, media and basically the common man, to play a role in the pursuit of health. The world health organisation (WHO) plays a very important role in fighting COPD, it incorporates its members to increase the awareness of the public to make sure people, healthcare professionals understand the effect of COPD disease, and the complexities associated with it, and strategies for management of the disease and monitor the epidemiology.(who.int) . The royal society for public health(RSPH) also suggested that investing in social marketing approaches has yielded potential impact and effectiveness of national and local health improvements.
Non-pharmacological include smoking cessation, diet, change in routine, and exercises that can be performed at home. Of these, one stands out above the rest, smoking cessation. Smoking is the number one association with COPD and quitting is the only current therapy proven to decrease mortality (Spencer and Hanania 2013). Therefore one of the first things that should be discussed with your patient is their smoking habits and the importance of quitting immediately no matter the stage at which they have been diagnosed. Patient education should become a constant focus in your clinic in order to improve patient compliance and
One of the many disease that is associated with emphysema includes COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). This disease is a building block to emphysema, it has similar symptoms consisting of wheezing, and shortness of breath, cough, and chest tightening. The least common symptoms of emphysema are “loss of appetite and weight loss, depression, poor sleep quality, and decreased sexual function” (emphysema ...
Approximately one in two lifetime smokers will die from their habit. Half of these deaths will occur in middle age. The most common of the diseases caused by smoking is cancer, of course. Not only is it a cause of lung cancer, but cancer of the larynx, and the esophagus, and it contributes to the development of cancers of the bladder, pancreas, and kidney. Lung cancer comes from the tar in the cigarettes.