Points to note about the disease
- Stopping smoking is the most effective step to prevent the disease and slow it down.
- Use directed (controlled) coughing, because it is more effective and reduces the tiredness that comes with undirected coughing. Note: directed coughing means breathing in slowly and deeply, then holding your breath for a few seconds and coughing two or three times.
- Breathe with pursed lips.
- Do not go out when the air is polluted.
- Increase the amount of fluids you drink and avoid fatty and salty foods.
- Increased chest tightness, shortness of breath or tiredness are signs of a respiratory infection and must be reported. If you have these symptoms, see a doctor.
- Avoid excitement and tense, stressful situations, which can increase your bouts of coughing.
- Take your prescribed medicines regularly.
- Lose weight.
- Keep away from crowded places and people who are ill.
- Have a flu vaccine every year and a pneumonia vaccine every 5 years.
- Be active. Do simple exercises; this helps oxygen flow in the blood, acts on the muscles and increases endurance.
- The places where you work and rest should be well ventilated.
What is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? It is a lung disease in which the flow of the air you breathe, especially when breathing out, is limited and slowed, together with an abnormal inflammatory reaction to harmful particles and gases. Risk factors
- A family history of allergy or respiratory disease
- Cigarettes, pipes and other forms of tobacco
- Long, continuous exposure to dust from materials a person handles at work.
- Chemicals
- Air pollution indoors and outdoors
- Genetic factors
Clinical signs: although the natural history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease varies, overall it is a progressive disease marked by three early symptoms:
- Chronic cough
- Increased phlegm (sputum)
- Shortness of breath on exertion. In the early stages of the disease, patients often complain of cough, phlegm and shortness of breath during activity.
As the disease progresses and the airflow blockage gets worse, these symptoms become more severe and more frequent, and the patient develops wheezing when breathing out and a lack of oxygen. Breathing becomes difficult and needs great effort, which causes severe tiredness and weakness. In the final stages, the lips and nails may turn dark because of the lack of oxygen.
Weight loss is also common, because shortness of breath also occurs while eating, and at this stage a lot of energy is needed to breathe. Very often the work of breathing increases and the person uses the accessory breathing muscles to breathe better.
Assessment and diagnostic findings
- Spirometry: a lung function test that measures lung volumes; it can help diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, identify severe disease and show how the disease is progressing.
- Measurement of blood gases
- Chest X-ray. Medical management: patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease must stop smoking. Stopping smoking is the least expensive way to reduce the risk of developing obstructive lung disease and to slow its progress. Treatment measures
- Oxygen therapy is an effective treatment. It can be prescribed for these patients long-term or intermittently, during exercise or to prevent shortness of breath.
- Taking medicines prescribed by the treating doctor, such as inhalers (sprays), antibiotics and oral medicines such as corticosteroids (cortisone)
Prepared by: Mohaddeseh Ghasemi – Education Unit
Source: Brunner and Suddarth – Respiratory Disorders, 2018
Document code: NO-BR-06