Archive for November 2010
Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
you have COPD?
Do you have frequent or persistent cough? Cough phlegm? Are you short of breath more than other people your age? Do you smoke? You are 40 years or more? If you answered yes to at least 3 of these questions it is time to have your lungs checked by a professional because you can chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) developed.
How common is COPD?
> 3 million died worldwide from COPD 2005in 2008 COPD will seek death and the seventh leading cause of hospitalization in Singapore
What happens in a lung COPD?
COPD is a term used to describe two lung diseases emphysema and bronchitis process chroniqueL’emphysème: Like a balloon, air sacs in the lungs of COPD are overloaded and damaged over time. The air is trapped and it is difficult to get air in and out of the poumons.La chronic bronchitis: the airways are swollen with mucus and
What causes COPD?
A long-term exposure to irritants, which destroys the lung lungs.
root cause: smoking chroniqueAutres: breathing secondhand smoke cooking, smoke, solid fuels, air pollution and cigarette
What are the symptoms?
Chronic cough and production of mucositésEssoufflement effortOppression thoraciqueSifflements the first time, a person with COPD can to ignore the symptoms because they can
the intensity of their daily activities. As the disease progresses, activities like walking, housework and food severely limited by breathlessness.
How is COPD diagnosed?
The loss of lung function in COPD patients is so advanced that many patients do not realize they have the condition until it’s hard. By the time most patients seek medical care, they may have lost 50% of their lung function.
There is a need for greater awareness of COPD and early diagnosis and treatment can delay disease progression and improve quality of life.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Association (Singapore) (www.copdas.com) and other international organizations such as the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (www.goldcopd.com) encourage smokers and former smokers, especially those with persistent cough and / or shortness of breath undergo a simple lung function test known as spirometry, which is a reference for the diagnosis of COPD.
What is spirometry?
Spirometry can be performed easily cliniqueOn asking the patient to quickly instrument (spirometry), after a deep breath respirationMesures the ratio of expiratory volume in first second of forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) test the sensitive and specific evidence of obstruction of air flow in poumonsLa spirometry has been useful in the differentiation of lung diseases such as asthma, COPD other
How COPD treated?
inhalers Bronchodilatateurinhalateurs stéroïdeCessez of fumerVaccination – influenza and pulmonary rehabilitation pneumococciesOxygénothérapieLa / regular exercise
Nobel Chest & Internal Medicine Center