Are the following 3 statements true in COPD?
What conditions does COPD encompass?
Mainly emphysema and chronic bronchitis, but also arguable chronic asthma
What is emphysema?
It is the loss of parenchymal lung texture
What is chronic bronchitits?
Chronic bronchitis is a clinical term referring to cough and sputum production for at least 3 months in each of 2 consecutive years.
What is the difference between asthma and COPD?
Asthma and COPD are both obstructive airway conditions caused by inflammation. However in asthma, the obstructive is reversible, unlike in COPD. In addition, inflammation is mainly caused by eosinophils in asthma, whereas in COPD neutrophils are involved.
What are the two types of exacerbations that can occur in COPD?
- Non-infective
What is an infective exacerbation of COPD?
Exacerbations are acute episodes of worsening COPD symptoms (such as increased breathlessness, cough and sputum) which are beyond normal day-to-day variations.
They are often triggered by bacterial infections and these are called infective exacerbations.
What is a non-infective exacerbation of COPD?
Exacerbations are acute episodes of worsening COPD symptoms (such as increased breathlessness, cough and sputum) which are beyond normal day-to-day variations
Non-infective exacerbations encompasses everything else other than bacterial infections (therefore viral infections would cause a non-infective exacerbation).
What clinical signs/symptoms will differentiate an infective exacerbation of COPD to a non-infective exacerbation of COPD?
Viral (ie. non infective) causes muscle ache, lethargy, no change to sputum colour and no fever, unlike for infective exacerbations.
What are the main pathophysiological changes that occur to the lungs in COPD?
What is causing the changes that are seen in COPD?
Overview, key cells involved, what is amplify the effect of chronic inflammation?
It is the host response to inhaled stimuli (tobacco, environmental fumes etc.) generates an inflammatory response.
Activated macrophages, neutrophils, and leukocytes are the core cells in this process.
Oxidative stress and an excess of proteases amplify the effects of chronic inflammation.
What is the most common risk factor for COPD? What percentage of cases are caused by it?
Tobacco Smoking - 90% of cases are associated with it
What are the risk factors for COPD?
What are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons?
They are found naturally in coal, crude oil and gasoline. They are therefore produced when coal, oil, gas, wood, garbage, and tobacco are burned.
They are a risk factor for development of COPD
What are the cardinal signs and symptoms of COPD?
Hint: 3 cardinal symptoms plus 1 other one extracted in the history
How is the cough in COPD?
What are the features of the dyspnoea in COPD?
What are the features of sputum production in COPD?
In an OSCE situation, what immediate clues could direct you towards thinking they have COPD?
Aside from the cardinal ones, what are the signs and symptoms of COPD?
Based of the history alone, when should you suspect COPD?
Anyone over the age of 45 with a risk factor and any of the three cardinal symptoms
NEED TO KNOW CARDINAL SYMPTOMS (cough, dyspnoea and sputum production)
What can you look for in the history of someone when you suspect COPD?
PC
HPC:
- Symptoms getting worse over time (breathlessness, exercise tolerence, peripheral oedema, cough)
PMSH:
SH:
FM:
- Lung or liver disease (consider alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency)
If someone comes in with chest pain, should you suspect COPD?
Not really, so you should put in under less likely
If someone presents with haemoptysis, should you suspect COPD?
No, so you should put it less likely (very very unlikely)