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(PDF) Pathophysiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

   

Added on  2021-04-16

16 Pages3650 Words128 Views
Disease and DisordersHealthcare and Research
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Running head: CLINICAL SCENARIO REPORTClinical scenario reportName of the student:Name of the University:Author’s note
(PDF) Pathophysiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)_1

1CLINICAL SCENARIO REPORTPathophysiology1.1Pathophysiology of COPD: The report is concerned with the case scenario of Robert, a 51 year old man admitted tohospital for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is aprogressive lung disease associated with airflow obstruction and abnormal inflammatoryresponse. Inflammatory response is seen due to exposure to noxious fumes like cigarettesmoke and chemical fumes. The activation of T–lymphocyte, B cells and neutrophils leads tothe initiation of an inflammatory cascade and many inflammatory mediators like fibrinogen,C reactive protein and interleukins are released. These inflammatory mediators play a majorrole in sustaining the inflammatory process and causing systemic changes and tissue damage(Brashier & Kodgule, 2012).Due to such structural changes, clinical presentation of airflow
(PDF) Pathophysiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)_2

2CLINICAL SCENARIO REPORTobstructionwasalsoobservedforRobert.Figure 1: Pathophysiology of CVD. Source: (MacNee, 2006).The two disease process contained in the umbrella term COPD is chronic bronchitis andemphysema or destruction of the lung parenchyma. The process leading to these two diseasecondition is understood from the pathogenesis of COPD explained above. The series ofinflammatory process provoked by exposure to tobacco smoke results in chronic bronchitisand emphysema. T lymphocytes dominate in the bronchial mucosa of COPD patients(Barrett-Connor et al., 2011).1.2Acute exacerbation of COPD and factors contributing to risk for Robert:
(PDF) Pathophysiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)_3

3CLINICAL SCENARIO REPORTRobert had to stay in intensive care unit (ICU) for 3 days for an acute exacerbation ofCOPD. Acute exacerbation of COPD is the term given to the appearance of suddenworsening symptoms in CVD patients such as acute shortness of breath, increased sputumproduction and change in colour of sputum (Ko et al., 2016). This kind of increase in airwayinflammation is seen mainly due to acute respiratory infection and exposure to allergens andtoxins. Respiratory infections are mainly caused by bacterial pathogens like Streptococcuspneumoniae and viral pathogens like Mycoplasma pneumonia and Chymydia sp. Manyenvironmental stressors and noxious chemicals is also responsible for acute exacerbation ofCOPD. (Lin et al., 2016). This kind of infectious exacerbation was the reason for increasedimpairment of lung function and long duration of hospitalization for Robert.Robert became at high risk for exacerbations of COPD mainly because of communityacquired pneumonia and smoking habits. He became more prone to risk because of advancingage and history of hospitalization (Montserrat-Capdevila et al., 2016). Other factorscontributing exacerbation of COPD symptoms include presence of cardiac dysfunction inpatients. This acts as a trigger for respiratory decompensation in patient and becomes areason for acute exacerbation of COPD (Lin et al., 2016). 1.3Pathophysiology of pneumonia and differences between Community Acquired,Hospital Acquired and Health Care Associated Pneumonia: Pneumonia is a respiratory infection associated with inflammation of the alveoli of one orboth lungs and manifestation of clinical symptoms like dry cough and difficulty in breathingoccurs due to the exposure of lungs to pulmonary irritants. Loss of upper reflexes allowsaspiration of pathogens into the upper airways of the lungs, which then reaches the lungparenchyma. The virulence of the organism leads to exaggerated immune response in thelungs and release of protein rich fluids into the alveoli. The accumulation of fluids impairs
(PDF) Pathophysiology of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)_4

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