Have you ever heard of a disorder, condition or disease for the first time wondering to yourself what it is? That was me 11 years ago when my baby girl was first diagnosed with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, at the young age of only four months old. My heart dropped when they told me the diagnosis even though I had no idea what it was, what is meant, or how it would change our lives. I had so many questions and even to this day, the questions still seem endless. I have spent countless hours researching
Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is preventable disease that has a detrimental effects on both the airway and lung parenchyma (Nazir & Erbland, 2009). COPD categorises emphysema and chronic bronchitis, both of which are characterised by a reduced maximum expiratory flow and slow but forced emptying of the lungs (Jeffery 1998). The disease has the one of the highest number of fatalities in the developed world due to the ever increasing amount of tobacco smokers and is associated
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. To better understand how COPD affects an individual you should first know how the lungs function. When you breathe in air it first goes through your trachea then into your bronchioles. Once in the bronchioles the air goes
cause COPD they are, air pollution, pollens, dust, occupational chemicals and gas fumes can also cause COPD2. There is another form of COPD called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (genetic) caused by lack of a protective protein in the blood2. Alpha-1 antitrypsin is produced by the liver and it is known as lung protector2. Deficiency of alpha-1 antitrypsin is responsible for 2-3 percentage of emphysema in US2. Approximately 80-90 percent of COPD is caused by tobacco smoking2. COPD is commonly affected
for months after I quit. Eventually, I saw a doctor and he diagnosed me with COPD, or emphysema. He explained to me that my emphysema was a direct cause of my prolonged smoking. Although, it can be caused by the lack of an inherited protein, alpha-1-antitrypsin, which protects the elastic structures (alveoli) in the lungs. He also said that air pollution, manufacturing fumes, and second hand smoke could have an impact but my history of smoking was most likely to blame. In order to have full comprehension
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is a group of progressive lung diseases that block airflow and make it hard to breathe. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the most common types of COPD (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2016, p 557). Primary symptoms include coughing, mucus, chest pain, shortness of breath, and wheezing (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2016, p.557). COPD develops slowly and worsens over time if not treated during early stages. The disease has no cure, but medication and disease management
Emphysema Have you ever wonder what it feels like for someone with emphysema? If yes, try this grab a plastic bag and pull it over your head. Make a small hole for you to breath through. Now just breath at your normal pace. You'll notice you are breathing faster and it's becoming harder to breath . It will get worse, fear and panic will set in. Take the bag off your head. Now you know what it feels like but people emphysema can't just take the bag off. Pathophysiology Emphysema is a type of chronic
dust, and cotton or gain dust. Occupational exposure may contribute to 20% of all cases. Finally, you should know your family history. If you have a family member with COPD, you can get a blood test to determine whether you carry the gene for AAt deficiency.7Once a patient has been diagnosed with COPD, the main treatment for the disease is a lifestyle change—quitting smoking. In less serious forms of the disease, quitting smoking leads to an improvement in coughing and wheezing symptoms. In severe
enough but smoking on top of that will increase the risk of COPD even more. Also having long-term exposure to chemical fumes or vapors and ducts can inflame your lungs or at least irritate them. Another risk is genetics, which is called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Only 1% of people that have COPD have this problem, their bodies cannot make enough AAT enzymes. The last risk factor would be age. The older you get the more at risk you have of developing COPD. COPD develops slowly over years and symptoms
or recent travel outside US. Patient states he does smoke ½ to 1 pack per day for the past 30 years. Patient does have history of HPTN and Hyperlipidemia which are controlled with medication. VS 130/78; rr 18; pulse ox 96%, hr 88. The case study presents a middle-aged male of 57 years old with complaints of a cough for the past couple of months and shortness of breath when climbing stairs. His history that consists of smoking ½ to 1 pack per day for 30 years. He also has
COPD Case Study 1. What clinical findings are likely in R.S. as a consequence of his COPD? 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
of the new information about our genes, the ability to develop tests to screen for these genes is becoming possible for a much larger number of diseases. Some of the current DNA tests available diagnose Adult polycystic kidney disease, Alpha-1-Antitrypsin deficiency, familial adenomatous polyposis, hemophilia, Huntington's disease, myotonic dystrophy, and familial breast cancer susceptibility (Munson, 1996). Many more tests are well on the way to being developed. With the possibility o... ... middle
Dialogue Doctor: Good afternoon, Sir. Chief: Good afternoon! What brings you here? Doctor: I wanted to discuss something I have had a concern about for quite some time. It concerns about genetic screening, or testing. Chief: What about it? Doctor: Sometimes mutations are unharmful. For example, polymorphisms, which can alter physical appearance and affect traits such as hair color, eye color, etc. However, there are also mutations that can lead to diseases. And when people get these diseases like
Type 1 autoimmune hepatitis is the most common form in North America. About 70 percent of people with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis are female. Type 2 autoimmune hepatitis is less common and occurs more often in children than adults. Signs and symptoms of autoimmune hepatitis can range from minor to severe and
Evolving Case Study: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease The patient in discussion has a past diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with a history of environmental and personal risk factors that contributed to his diagnosis. COPD is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that affects gas exchange and oxygenation of all tissues. A common complication is cardiac failure (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2016, p. 558). A thorough assessment combined with laboratory and diagnostic tests will