'Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Essay\r'

'Introduction\r\nâ€Å" degenerative obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung ailment that is characterized by a dour blockage of air flow from the lungs” ( World health Organisation (WHO) website, nd). This report volition encounter the causes, symptoms and treatment of COPD. It will discuss circulating(prenominal) statistics on COPD and some of the current treatments for sale. quaternate sources were apply including websites, leaflets and government documents.\r\nOver 440,000 deal in Ireland argon thought to nurture COPD ( Living with COPD website, nd). By 2020, it is predicted to be the triad leading cause of death world-wide (Living with COPD website, 2013). A recent COPD audit in Europe discovered that 50% of sufferers will break-dance or be readmitted to hospital within a 3 month period (Living with COPD website, 2013). Approximately 1400 plenty die every year from the narrow down (Oireachtas website, 2013). Ireland has i of the highest incidents of death in Europe from COPD (Living with COPD website, 2013). COPD is an irreversible lung disease which causes permanent lung damage. In COPD, the airflow to the lungs become narrower and blocked and breathing becomes knotty (COPD clog up website, nd). COPD is an umbrella verge for continuing Bronchitis and Emphysema (Living with COPD website, nd).\r\nCauses\r\nThe single biggest cause of COPD is weed. 80-90% of people with the delimitate have COPD due to smoking. (COPD Support website, 2009). Other causes are air pollution, icon to fumes or dust particles at work, passive smoking, recurring respiratory infections in early life and a rarefied genetic disorder called Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (National brass, Lung and rakehell Institute website, nd).\r\nDiagnosis and Symptoms\r\nA breathing test called Spirometry is used to diagnose COPD (COPD fanny\r\nWebsite, nd). The test measures how well a mortal breathes. In Ireland, access to Spirometry Tests is not availab le nationwide and tests must be carried appear in hospital (Oireachtas website, 2013). Early diagnosis terminate greatly slow megabucks the condition (National Health Service website, 2012).\r\n a lot COPD is diagnosed after a person has an irritation of the condition (American Thoracic website, nd).\r\nAn exacerbation of COPD means the symptoms have become more than(prenominal) dreaded. It is by and large caused by an infection in the lungs and hospitalization insurance is call ford which leads to diagnosis of the condition ( American Thoracic website, nd).\r\nSymptoms of COPD include wheezing, persistent spit up with mucus that will not go away, breathlessness completing every twenty-four hour period tasks and problem taking deep breaths (American Lung Association website, nd). Symptoms typically start to emerge from the age of 40 years onwards (Living with Copd website, 2013). Long term complications associated with COPD include, load loss and swallowing issues k nown as Dysphagia (Queensland Health and The Australian Lung Foundation, 2012). Swallowing issues can ascend as the patient can often breathe when eating, which causes food to enter the lungs. This can lead to reflux, indigestion problems, difficulty in finishing meals and lung infections (Queensland Health and The Australian Lung Foundation, 2012).\r\nStages\r\n there are 4 stages of COPD: pocket-size, Moderate , distasteful and in truth Severe (End Stage) (COPD external website, nd).\r\nMild: The person whitethorn have lithe breathlessness and whitethorn or may not have a spit out but is unaware they have COPD (COPD International website, nd).\r\nModerate: Breathlessness carrying out day to day tasks, may or may not have frequent cough with mucus. At this stage the condition is usually diagnosed as symptoms become more severe (COPD International website, nd).\r\nSevere: COPD greatly affects the feature of life, physical activity is limited, exacerbations of COPD are overm uch more frequent (COPD International website, nd).\r\nVery Severe/End Stage; At this stage atomic number 8 is required continuously, all exertion at all is difficult. chronic Respiratory Failure and/or Heart Failure and death occurs (Kenny,T 2011).\r\nThis friendship would change a Healthcare Support player to identify the early signs of the condition, have an profit awareness of a patient with a persistent cough, frequent colds or boob infections and encourage the patient to seek medical help for a diagnosis.\r\nTreatments\r\nStopping smoking is critical in treating COPD, as giving up smoking greatly prevents the condition worsening. Inhalers are generally used to watch and relieve symptoms of COPD. Short-Acting Inhalers are used to soothe breathlessness, Long-Acting Inhalers which work over 12 hours to relieve symptoms, and Steroid Inhalers also care breathing (British Lung Foundation website, nd). Oxygen Therapy is used in severe COPD. Patients may require oxygen fo r day to day tasks, when dormancy or in some cases, 24 hours a day. Oxygen is available in tanks, liquid form or oxygen concentrators (COPD Support website, nd).\r\n pneumonic Rehabilitation Programmes also plays a vital role in the treatment of COPD (Oireachtas website, 2013). In Ireland, programmes are normally ran over 20 sessions, with patients attending 2 to three times a week. base numbers are limited to a maximum of 15 people. The programme consists of Exercise, nutrition to accession fitness levels and breeding to increase the patients awareness of the condition (Health Service administrator website, 2013). COPD patients have been shown to gain hugely from Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programmes, improving quality of life, cut down hospital admissions and increasing survival chances (Oireachtas website, 2013).\r\nA person with COPD uses 10 times the vigor to breathe than a person without the condition. It is all important(predicate) to replace lost calories, maintain c harge and also to protect the immune system of rules against colds and flu’s (American Lung website, nd). Foods high in both energy, sugar and fatten much(prenominal) as fried foods, full fat dairy products and readymade meals are recommended to encourage weight gain. However it is important that a sound diet is also\r\nmaintained (COPD Education website, nd). Supplement drinks are often recommended to increase calorie intake between meals. If swallowing issues occur, yielding foods such as soups and stews are recommended and patients are encouraged to eat several small meals throughout the day (COPD Education website, nd). With this knowledge a healthcare Worker would vouch that meals are small but nutritive at regular intervals . A HealthCare Support Worker would also assure how meals are prepared as softer, more manageable foods may be required.\r\n close\r\nThis report has examined the causes, symptoms and treatments of COPD. This report discussed current statis tics regarding the condition and some of the treatments available. From researching this report it is clear that more public awareness of COPD in Ireland is all important(p) to highlight the link between COPD and smoking.\r\nCOPD take to feature strongly in Anti-smoking campaigns to encourage this awareness, which would enable early diagnosis and treatment.\r\n'