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CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE Definition Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a chronic slowly progressive disorder characterized by airflow obstruction (reduced FEV1 and FEV1/VC ratio) that does not change markedly over several months. Most of the lung function impairment is fixed, although some reversibility can be produced by bronchodilator (or other) therapy.
EMPHYSEMA • Centriacinar - Centrilobular • Panacinar - Panlobular • Periacinar - Paraseptal or distal Acinar
CHRONIC BRONCHITIS • Simple mucoid bronchitis • Mucopurulent bronchitis • Chronic obstructive bronchitis.
PATHOLOGY • Changes in Mucus gland thickness • Air Flow limitation due to:- (i) Mechanical obstruction. (ii) Loss of pulmonary elastic recoil. (iii) Reduction of the alveolar attachment around the walls of the small air ways • Circulatory changes are confined to advanced disease.
CLINICAL FEATURES • Symptoms include cough, sputum, dyspnoea, and wheeze. • Signs: Pink puffers & blue bloaters (2 ends of a spectrum). Patients who have chronic cough and sputum production with a history of exposure to risk factors should be tested for airflow limitation, even if they do not have dyspnea.
SYMPTOMS TYPICAL OF COPD • History of heavy smoking for many years. • Cough and sputum production for many years. • Cough often present only on waking at first; later cough occurs throughout the day. • Sputum usually mucoid – becomes purulent with exacerbation of disease, but not excessive. • Cough and sputum often worse in winter due to infection. • Insidious onset of breathlessness on exertion with wheezing or tightness of chest.
SYMPTOMS TYPICAL OF COPD (CONTD.) • Some develop increasingly severe exacerbations of disease leading to chronic respiratory failure and heart failure – the “blue bloater’ type of COPD. • Others have little or no sputum or hypoxia at rest, but breathlessness and wheezing is severe and emphysema is prominent – the pink puffer’ type of COPD. These patients are commonly underweight. • Most patients with COPD present with a mixed pattern rather than the ‘blue bloater’ or ‘pink puffer’ extremes.
SYMPTOMS NOT TYPICAL OF COPD • Haemoptysis – can occur due to COPD alone, but its appearance is such a patient suggests the possibility of malignancy, which must be carefully sought. • Seasonal exacerbations in spring or summer are more likely in asthma. • Excellent response to bronchodilators or steroids with definite symptom-free intervals is suggestive of asthma, not COPD.
SYMPTOMS NOT TYPICAL OF COPD (CONTD). • Continuous expectoration of purulent sputum is more typical of bronchiectasis than COPD. • Breathlessness without productive cough or wheezing is more typical of cardiac disease or of other lung diseases such as interstitial pulmonary fibrosis..
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION • Large, barrel-shaped chest. • Prominent accessory respiratory muscles in neck. • Low, flat diaphragm causing costal margin retractions on inspiration. • Diminished breath sounds, distant heart sounds. • Prolonged expiration with generalized wheezing predominantly on expiration.
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION (CONTD). • Depressed liver, which is not enlarged. • The ‘blue bloater’ type of COPD patient may also have: Cyanosis at rest or mild exertion. Oedema of ankles Crackles at lung bases. Loud second heart sound in pulmonary area (difficult to hear in COPD). • The ‘pink puffer’ type of COPD patient may also have:-. expiratory pursed-lip breathing, thin body build and tendency to lean forward over a support to assist breathing.
RADIOLOGY • Plain chest radiography 1. Signs due to hyperinflation. 2. Signs due to vascular changes. 3. Signs due to bullae. 1. Low flattened diaphragms. 2. Increase in the retrosternal space. 3. An obtuse costophrenic angle. 4. A reduction in size and numbers of pulmonary vessels. Particularly in the periphery of the lung. 5. Vessel distortion producing increased branching, angles or bowing of vessels.
C.T. SCAN CHEST • Areas of low attenuation without obvious margins or walls. • Attenuation and pruning of the vascular tree. • Abnormal vascular configuration. C.T. Scan is the most sensitive and specific imaging technique for assessing Emphysema.
DIAGNOSIS • Diagnosis of COPD is based on a history of exposure to risk factors and the presence of airflow limitation that is not fully reversible, with or without the presence of symptoms.
DIAGNOSIS (Contd.) • For the diagnosis and assessment of COPD, spirometry is the gold standard as it is the most reproducible, standardized, and objective way of measuring airflow limitation. FEV1 / FVC < 70% and a postbronchodilator FEV1 < 80% predicted confirms the presence of airflow limitation that is not fully reversible.
Additional Investigation • Bronchodilator reversibility testing • Glucocorticosteroid reversibility testing • Chest X-Ray • Arterial blood gas measurement • Alpha - 1 antitrypsin deficiency screening
Differential Diagnosis • Asthma • Congestive Heart Failure • Bronchiectasis • Tuberculosis • Obliterative Bronchiolitis
Causes of Chronic cough with a normal Chest X-ray Intrathoracic • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease • Bronchial asthma • Central bronchial carcinoma • Endobronchial tuberculosis • Bronchiectasis • Left heart failure • Interstitial lung disease • Cystic fibrosis
Causes of Chronic cough with a normal Chest X-ray Extrathoracic • Postnasal drip • Gastroesophageal reflux • Drug therapy (e.g. ACE inhibitors)
Management of COPD • Assess and Monitor Disease • Reduce Risk Factors • Manage Stable COPD • Manage Exacerbations
Therapy at Each Stage of COPD Stage Characteristics Recommended Treatment All * Avoidance of risk factor (s) * Influenza vaccination 0: At risk * Chronic Symptoms (cough, Sputum) * Exposure to risk factors * Normal spirometry Mild COPD * FEV1/FVC < 70% * Short-acting bronchodilator * FEV1 80% predicted when needed * With or without symptoms
Therapy at Each Stage of COPD StageCharacteristicsRecommended Treatment Moderate COPD FEV1 40 - 59% * Regular treatment * Inhaled Gluccocorti - with one or more costeorodis if bronchodilators Significant * Rehabilitation Symptoms and lung function response
Therapy at Each Stage of COPD Stage Characteristics Recommended Treatment Severe COPD FEV1 < 40% * Regular treatment with one or more bronchodilators * Inhaled glucorticosteroids if significant symptoms and lung function response or if repeated exacerbations. * Treatment of complications * Rehabilitation * Long-term oxygen therapy if respiratory failure. * Consider surgical treatments.
Manage Exacerbations Common Causes of Acute Exacerbations of COPD Primary • Tracheobronchial infection • Air pollution Secondary • Pneumonia • Pulmonary embolism • Pneumothorax • Rib fractures/chest trauma • Inappropriate use of sedatives, narcotics, beta-blocking agents • Right and/or left heart failure or arrhythmias
Management of Acute COPD Controlled oxygen therapy Start at 24-28%; vary according to ABG Aim for a PaO2 >8.0 kPa with a rise in PaCo2 <1.5kPa ↓ Nebulized bronchodilators: Salbutamol 5mg/4h and Ipratropium 500 µg/6h ↓ Steroids I/V hydrocortisone 200 mg and Oral Prednisolon 30-40 mg ↓
Management of Acute COPD (Contd.) ↓ Antibiotics: Use of evidence of infection: e.g. amoxicillin 500 mg/6h P.O. ↓ Physiotherapy to aid sputum expectoration ↓ If no response: Repeat nebulizers and consider I/V aminophyllin↓
Management of Acute COPD (Contd.) ↓ If no response: 1. Consider nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilationif respiratory rate >30 or pH <7.35. I is delivered by nasal mask and a flow generator↓ 2. Consider intubation2 & ventilation if pH<7.26 and PaCO2 is rising ↓ 3. Consider respiratory stimulant drug e.g. doxapram 1-2 mg/min IV. SE: agitation, confusion, tachycardia, nauseaOnly for patients who are not suitable for mechanical ventilationA short – term measure only
Management of complications • Acute exacerbations. • Chronic respiratory failure • Acute respiratory failure • COR pulmonale
PULMONARY REHABILITATION • Education about the disease process. • Breathing retraining. • Exercise training. • Proper use of mediations and oxygen. • Nutritional support. • Psychological support.
Future trends • New technologies i.e. (NIPPV) • Early detection • New therapies • ą1– antitrypsin replacement therapy • New anticholonergics. i.e. Tiotropium bromide • Enzyme/mediator inhibitors i.e. Specific neutrophil elastase inhibitors • Anti-inflammatory treatment i.e. phosphodiesterase (PDE) type 4 inhibitors