COPD

Chronic obstructive airways/pulmonary disease

Defined by lung function tests
Combination of bronchitis & empysema
2ry to smoking
Most = mixture of function, h/e 'pure' disease at each end of spectrum

Treatment & Prognosis

Prevention & supportive therapy
5-10% of all deaths in UK

Cx

Pneumothorax
Polycythaemia
Cor pulmonale
Pneumonia
Resp failure
Pulmonary hypertension

Pure empysema

'pink puffer'
Middle-aged to elderly
Dyspnoea early & severe
Cough minimal with scanty sputum
Infections rare
Hyperinflation as low recoil
O2 and CO2 maintained at muscular cost
Type I resp failure & cor pulmonale = terminal events

Pure chronic bronchitis
'blue bloater'

Middle-aged
Dyspnoea mild
Cough productive
Infections common
Increased airways resistance
Low O2 & CO2 levels tolerated
Repeated type II resp failure & cor pulmonale