Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a disease that affects the respiratory system. It is a progressive disease, which means that it gets worse as time passes ("What Is COPD?"). Although there are different types of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, the common similarity in the disease is increasing breathlessness. The main symptoms are an increases of breathlessness, frequent coughing, wheezing and tightness in the chest. One major issue is that when people age they assume that the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease symptoms are symptoms of aging. People think their bodies are just wearing out. This makes it hard to diagnose people with the disease, because they are unaware of the symptoms. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
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They are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Emphysema involves extensive damage to the lungs over time. A way to test the progression is a pulmonary function testing (PFT’s). This test, tests the lung capacity of a person ("COPD"). This test is simple and is accurate. It involves a patient blowing out into a tube. The force and duration determines the condition of the lungs. With emphysema it is hard to blow out because air pockets form. To tell what stage a person is in most doctors use the GOLD staging system. GOLD stands for “ Global Institute for Chronic Obstruction Lung Disease.” This is a specific test that measures the amount of air that a person can blow out in 1 second. This amount of air is called the forced exploratory volume (FEVI). vFrom the FEVI doctors group the patient into four stages. Stage one is the mild stage. The FEVI is 80% or more than normal. The second stage is moderate. The FEVI is less than 80 % but more than 50% of normal capacity. The third stage is severe, the FEVI is less 50 percent but greater than 30 percent. Finally, the worse stage is very severe. This is when the FEVI is less then 30 percent. There can be serious physical limitation when the FEVI is less than 30 because oxygen blood content is very low. This causes oxygen deprivation. This can cause damage to the body. Brain damage occurs after eight minutes without oxygen …show more content…
This is an inherited condition so it is not contagious. You can only get it if your parents have the allele. The main problem is that ATTD makes a person at risk for lung and liver damage. With ATTD the protein Alpha-1 Antirpsin is in shortage. This is a protein that protects the lungs in the body. The deficiency causes some of the proteins to get stuck in the liver ("Learning about Alpha-1 Antitrypsin").This means that they cannot reach the lungs to protect. Other symptoms of AATD are jaundice and swelling of the abdomen. Jaundice is a sign of liver failure. Jaundice can be seen because a person will turn the light yellow color. The color is most prevalent in the eyes. To diagnose ATTD a liver biopsy may be necessary. A liver biopsy involves taking a piece of a person’s liver to analyze. This is a minor procedure, it is typically done within 5 minutes. Before that operation you are given a local anesthetic, this numbs the area. A doctor will use a ultrasound machine and a needle to do the procedure. The ultrasound machine is used to show the doctor where to put the needle. Although this is simple procedure, there are possible risks. The first risk is internal bleeding. This can happen if the doctor accidentally hits a part
They are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Emphysema involves extensive damage to the lungs over time. A way to test the progression is a pulmonary function testing (PFT’s). This test, tests the lung capacity of a person ("COPD"). This test is simple and is accurate. It involves a patient blowing out into a tube. The force and duration determines the condition of the lungs. With emphysema it is hard to blow out because air pockets form. To tell what stage a person is in most doctors use the GOLD staging system. GOLD stands for “ Global Institute for Chronic Obstruction Lung Disease.” This is a specific test that measures the amount of air that a person can blow out in 1 second. This amount of air is called the forced exploratory volume (FEVI). vFrom the FEVI doctors group the patient into four stages. Stage one is the mild stage. The FEVI is 80% or more than normal. The second stage is moderate. The FEVI is less than 80 % but more than 50% of normal capacity. The third stage is severe, the FEVI is less 50 percent but greater than 30 percent. Finally, the worse stage is very severe. This is when the FEVI is less then 30 percent. There can be serious physical limitation when the FEVI is less than 30 because oxygen blood content is very low. This causes oxygen deprivation. This can cause damage to the body. Brain damage occurs after eight minutes without oxygen …show more content…
This is an inherited condition so it is not contagious. You can only get it if your parents have the allele. The main problem is that ATTD makes a person at risk for lung and liver damage. With ATTD the protein Alpha-1 Antirpsin is in shortage. This is a protein that protects the lungs in the body. The deficiency causes some of the proteins to get stuck in the liver ("Learning about Alpha-1 Antitrypsin").This means that they cannot reach the lungs to protect. Other symptoms of AATD are jaundice and swelling of the abdomen. Jaundice is a sign of liver failure. Jaundice can be seen because a person will turn the light yellow color. The color is most prevalent in the eyes. To diagnose ATTD a liver biopsy may be necessary. A liver biopsy involves taking a piece of a person’s liver to analyze. This is a minor procedure, it is typically done within 5 minutes. Before that operation you are given a local anesthetic, this numbs the area. A doctor will use a ultrasound machine and a needle to do the procedure. The ultrasound machine is used to show the doctor where to put the needle. Although this is simple procedure, there are possible risks. The first risk is internal bleeding. This can happen if the doctor accidentally hits a part