What is the most common pathophysiology of COPD?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term used to describe emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Together with asthma and cystic fibrosis, COPD is part of a larger class of lung diseases characterized by an obstacle to air flow by the respiratory system. While COPD pathophysiology is still not fully understood, the symptoms and progression of COPD seem to be closely linked to the inflammation of the lung tissue. Long -term exposure to cigarette smoke or other irritants causes an inflammatory reaction of the lungs, leading to structural and cellular changes in the respiratory system tissues. COPD pathophysiology is usually manifested as an emphysema, chronic bronchitis, or in many patients it is a combination of two.
Cigarette smoking is usually cited as the most common risk factor for COPD. Other risk factors include exposure to inhaled irritants such as coal dust or cadmium. Women who have adequately smaller lungs and respiratory tract than men is greater truth belowthe inability to develop symptoms of COPD. There is also a genetic variant of the disease associated with congenital absence of important lung enzyme; However, this form of COPD has clearly defined pathophysiology, which differs from the irritating pathophysiology of COPD.
The common factor that causes the emphysema and chronic bronchitis to be grouped together under the only diagnosis of COPD, is to reduce air flow. Since many patients show symptoms of both diseases and both share common etiology and pathophysiology, it can make sense to call them one entity. Air flow reduction may occur due to loss of lung tissue elasticity due to emphysema, chronic mucus overload associated with chronic bronchitis, or persistent narrowing of the airways due to inflammation. As a result, COPD patients are often prescribed inhalers of medicine to open on the airways and facilitateher breathing.
Healthy lungs contain millions of small air bags known as alveoli through which oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide through a complex network of blood vessels. The emphysema causes these fine bags to tear and the blood vessels will be destroyed, so that the existing air bags remain seriously damaged. When this happens, the lungs work less efficiently. It is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain enough oxygen or exclude carbon dioxide and the patient may suffer from symptoms associated with lack of oxygen.
While the emphysema mainly affects small air bags and blood vessels of the lungs, chronic bronchitis focuses on larger airways. When respiratory tissues are damaged, the inflammatory reaction of the body causes the airways swollen and narrowed, and the excess mucus is excreted in an effort to protect the lungs from inhaled irritants. Unfortunately, airway inflammation and increased mucus lead to overload and difficulty breathing. Coined pathophysiology CHOPN Emprym and chronic bronChitis leads to the spirit, weakness, dizziness, fatigue and persistent productive cough.
In the early stages of COPD, these symptoms may not be particularly noticeable or annoying and can easily be ignored or assume that they are just another part of aging. As the disease progresses, COPD is characterized by frequent exacerbations in which symptoms suddenly deteriorate after the disease period. These exacerbations often lead to the patient to be hospitalized and treated with steroids and supplementary oxygen. Over time, the pathophysiology of COPD can come to the chest the barrel caused by hyperinflation of the lungs, bluing the mouth and fingers from chronic oxygen deficiency and persistent whistling caused by narrowing and overloading the airways.
If the procedure is allowed, COPD pathophysiology will eventually require constant oxygen replenishment and specialized nursing care. Complication COPD includes heart failure, collapsed lungs and sudden respiratory failure. COPD is an irreversible disease that hasA shortened overall life and drastically reduced quality of life. The most important step in the treatment plan is to stop smoking. It turned out that the end of smoking significantly slows down the progression of the disease, and if it is caught soon, the lung function can be maintained and the quality of life is well preserved until later.