Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Introduction
COPD: airflow blockage & difficulty in breathing Fourth leading cause of death in the world Affects almost 13% or one in seven Australians 40 or over. Australia has one of the highest rates of COPD deaths in the developed world. Affects men and women almost equally

Taken from: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/copd/

Taken from: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/copd/

Taken from: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/copd/

Symptoms
Cough and abnormal sputum Breathlessness/wheezing Exacerbations and respiratory infections Other symptoms:
fatigue, depression, weight loss, anorexia, chest pain and swollen ankles.

Pathophysiology of COPD
Differences between COPD and asthma
COPD: irreversible, airways and lungs, >40 yr old Asthma: reversible, airways only, childhood

Complex syndrome:
1. airway inflammation, 2. mucociliary dysfunction and 3. airway structural changes.

Airway Inflammation

Adapted from Barnes, P.J. (2006). Nat Rev Immunol. 8:183-92

Structural Changes

Taken from: http://www.thinkcopdifferently.com/About-COPD/

Mucociliary Dysfunction

Taken from: http://www.thinkcopdifferently.com/About-COPD/

Risk factors

Adapted from Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease [GOLD]. (2011).

Diagnosis

Adapted from Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease [GOLD]. (2011).

Treatment & Management

No cure for COPD. Relieve symptoms and keep the disease from getting worse. Stop smoking preventive way to slow down the lung damage. Medications used to treat COPD include:
Inhalers (bronchodilators) to open the airways Inhaled steroids to reduce lung inflammation Anti-inflammatory medications

Conclusion
COPD: chronic illness with difficulty in breathing. Primary cause: tobacco smoke Affects men and women almost equally Incurable, but treatment can slow the progress of the disease. Most do not recognize COPD and unaware of its chronic debilitating nature and impact on society. WHO: Total deaths from COPD to increase to 30% in the next 10 years if no intervention

Reference List

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