Understanding Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

This assignment delves into Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), examining its causes, symptoms, and various treatment options. It highlights the importance of smoking cessation, bronchodilator use, and oxygen therapy in managing the disease. The assignment also addresses pain associated with COPD and emphasizes the 'Icare' model of care, which prioritizes integrity, compassion, positive attitude, respect, and exceptional quality of treatment for patients.

Running head: CHRONIC ILLNESS
CHRONIC ILLNESS
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

1CHRONIC ILLNESS
Summary paper
CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD)
Chronic diseases become more common with age. Our presentation focuses on chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a normally umbrella term that describes the progressive
lung diseases, which includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, bronchitis. The main
characteristics of this disease are increase in the breathlessness.
The main part of the body that I affected in COPD is the lungs. It affects the various structural
and the functional domains of the lungs. The alveoli of the lungs become damaged and the lung
airways get stiffer and narrower. The lung alveoli break down and it becomes difficult for the
inhalation and exhalation.
Causes
There are multiple factors behind the development of the COPD. In most of the cases
COPD is caused by the inhalation of the air pollutants, obnoxious factory fumes, and dust
particles. Researchers have found that genetics also play a part in the development of COPD
(Mackay and Hurst, 2012).
One of the main irritant of the lung airway is the cigarette smoking. Studies have proved that
older adults who were once smokers or are still smoking have the greater chance of developing
COPD (Salvi, 2014). Prolonged exposure to the lung irritants like poisonous chemicals or
secondary smoke may cause COPD in the older years. Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD)
is the most common genetic risk factor for the occurrence of emphysema (Suissa, Dell'Aniello
and Ernst, 2012).

2CHRONIC ILLNESS
Signs and symptoms
The general signs of COPD is increased breathlessness, coughing which can be with or
without sputum, wheeziness, tightening of the throat and the chest (Mackay and Hurst, 2012).
Most of the age people mistake the increased coughing and breathlessness with the normal signs
of aging and therefore neglect the treatment. COPD often remains latent and takes years to
express the symptoms. Progressive symptoms may include acute respiratory distress, chest pain,
tachypnea, cyanosis, pneumonia, and bronchitis, use of accessory respiratory muscles,
hyperinflation, peripheral edema, chronic wheezing, and raised jugular venous pulse (Mackay
and Hurst, 2012). The stages of COPD progresses from I to IV. Stage IV is the worst stage of
the COPD (Mackay and Hurst, 2012).
Psychosocial condition of COPD patients
Although the identification and the treatment of the physical illness connected to COPD
has increased but the psychological burden of the disease in the older adults is always neglected.
Person with COPD often have worst episodes of coughing a d respiratory distress, which might
hamper their professional life. People working in factories and the construction sites often face
work place problems if they have COPD (Yohannes and Alexopoulos, 2014). Prolonged
exposure to their work place may also worsen their condition. Inability to contribute to the
profession might generate anxiety and depression in the working older adults. This can lead to
social withdrawal. COPD can involve progressive turn down in lung function which may give
rise to dyspnoea and reduced ability to perform daily tasks. It can cause alterations in the
person’s social roles, relationships and self-perception (Yohannes and Alexopoulos, 2014).

3CHRONIC ILLNESS
Pain associated with the illness
Pain is a common problem in people with COPD. They mainly suffer from acute chest
and back pain. Apart from this there are multiple sources of pain multiple sources of pain, which
includes neuropathic pain, muscle pain, mechanical, compressive or inflammatory. Chest pain
may occur due to excessive coughing.
Common treatments
There is almost no known cure for this ailment. There are some precautions that can be
taken for reducing the discomfort and some pain management therapies. The goals of treatment
of this disease are giving up smoking, using bronchodilators, use of masks, avoiding the factors
that might trigger respiratory distresses (Mackay and Hurst, 2012).
Self care is important in managing the chronic illness. The patient should be imparted
with the education regarding quitting of smoking habits, use of tools like humidators or
bronchodilators and adherence to the medications (Mackay and Hurst, 2012).
Other treatments that can be required are the oxygen therapy, if conditions become serious.
People having acute pain can be managed by the administration of the opoids.
I care model for COPD patients
The Icare model of care refers to the following parameters- Integrity, Compassion,
Positive attitude, Respect, Exceptional quality of treatment (Bourbeau and Saad, 2013). These
are some of the factors that an HCA should incorporate in herself or himself to get a positive
outcome in patients.

4CHRONIC ILLNESS
The following nursing interventions should be taken up by the HCA:-
 Administration of the prescribed medicines.
 Administration of the opoids for pain medication.
 To provide support to the patients to manage pain and respiratory distress.
 To administer oxygen therapy as and when required.
 To impart knowledge to the patient regarding the cessation of smoking, use of
bronchodilators.
 To check infections, helping the patient to remain mobile.
 To help the registered nurses with monitoring of the vital signs.
 To provide a holistic approach of care to the patient to fight with the psychosocial issues
faced during the clinical condition.
In a nutshell it can be concluded that although COPD is a chronic disease it can be managed
by the HCA by proper, monitoring, assessment and helping the patient to adhere to the
medicine.

5CHRONIC ILLNESS
References
Bourbeau, J. and Saad, N., 2013. Integrated care model with self-management in chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease: from family physicians to specialists. Chronic Respiratory
Disease, 10(2), pp.99-105.
Mackay, A.J. and Hurst, J.R., 2012. COPD exacerbations: causes, prevention, and
treatment. Medical Clinics of North America, 96(4), pp.789-809.
Salvi, S., 2014. Tobacco smoking and environmental risk factors for chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease. Clinics in chest medicine, 35(1), pp.17-27.
Suissa, S., Dell'Aniello, S. and Ernst, P., 2012. Long-term natural history of chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease: severe exacerbations and mortality. Thorax, 67(11), pp.957-963.
Yohannes, A.M. and Alexopoulos, G.S., 2014. Depression and anxiety in patients with
COPD. European Respiratory Review, 23(133), pp.345-349.