C.O.P.D.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
By: Shane Rogers NREMT Paramedic AAS

 

Objectives:

1. Identify COPD as a disease process.
2. Determine its prevalence in society.
3. Identify the two pathologies behind COPD.
4. Identify basic pulmonary structures affected by COPD.
5. Identify signs and symptoms of the two COPD pathologies.
6. Describe basic short and long term care of COPD.
7. Identify risk factors for COPD.

 

The Following presentation is a summery of the complex disease process known as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. A brief history and current epidemiology of the disease will be discussed first. COPD was though to be around since the turn of the 19th century and became thought of as a differential diagnosis for those who didn’t have asthma and didn’t have TB (tuberculosis) there was no real understanding of the pathology. This came about because the development of the stethoscope in Europe. The definition of COPD became more prominent in the early 1960’s when two disease processes were better defined and understood, those being bronchitis and emphysema which in their chronic state are termed as COPD. This is a fairly new disease in respects to medicine and was brought about primarily by social habits and work environments (smoking tobacco & industrial smoke and chemical inhalations) over the course of time.

Today Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and soon on a world level to be the third leading cause of death (from chronic conditions). 11.2 million US American adults age 18 and older exhibited signs of this disease process; however realistically 24 million US Americans showed signs of lung impairment,(totaled from the year 2004). 80-90% of COPD deaths are caused by smoking! Furthermore women (smokers) 13 times more at risk while men (smokers) are 12 times more at risk than those who do not smoke to develop the condition. Some cases can be attributed to pollution, industrial work, but none come close to the smokers.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is composed of a few pathologies which include Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema and some are now thinking that severe or chronic Asthma may be a culprit because of the impaired lung function and scaring effects it can have on the lungs.

Bronchitis and its pathologies are quite extensive and beyond the scope of this report but a basic explanation will be given here of its affects on the lungs. There are two types of bronchitis (surprised probably not) there is acute bronchitis which on average last less than six weeks and has no real long term complications the second is chronic bronchitis which is defined as frequently reoccurring infections lasting longer than two years. Bronchitis can be either viral or bacterial in which both result in the same general symptoms (phlegm, coughing & hacking). The acute bronchitis patients in otherwise healthy patients generally recover in a few days with medical treatment.

 

 

 

 

 

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