Family Health Case Study Kirstin Fisher Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
A paper submitted in partial fulfillment of NURS 3010: Pathophysiology
FALL 2016
Introduction The family member I will be focusing on in this paper will be my maternal grandfather, Andy Anderson. Mr. Anderson is 70 years old and was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease over 5 years ago. He is a 2 pack a day smoker and has been since the age of 16. In recent years, his symptoms have become worse. He has a cough that will not go away, as well as wheezing that is relatively constant. His sputum is yellow in color and sometimes can be white, …show more content…
It is the most common pulmonary disease in the world, especially prominent in India. The disease is correlated with an exaggerated response to respiratory irritants. Some examples of irritants include cigarette smoke, dust, chemicals, and fuel fumes. There are two clinical phenotypes of COPD. They are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis leads to an abundance of mucus secretions and a productive cough that lasts greater than three months of the year, for at least two years in a row. When the inhalation of the irritants occurs, it leads to infiltration and inflammation of the macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes located within the bronchial wall. Bronchial edema develops due to the chronic inflammation. Due to the edema, the size and number if goblet cells and mucous glands increase. The mucus produced by these enlarged cells is extremely thick making it difficult to clear. The airways have a dramatic decrease in function, leading to a compromised defense for the lungs. Since the lungs have a compromised defense, they are more prone to infection. COPD exacerbations are linked to lung infections. Emphysema is the second phenotype of COPD and affects the tissues differently than chronic bronchitis. In emphysema there is a permanent change in lung tissue. The gas exchange airways are enlarged and the alveoli are destroyed. The airways are not narrowed, rather the elastic recoil of the lungs leads to limited airflow. Large air spaces appear due to the destruction of the alveoli. These air spaces are not productive in gas exchange, resulting in hypoxia, ventilation-perfusion, and air trapping. The phenotype that Mr. Anderson has been diagnosed with is
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
A paper submitted in partial fulfillment of NURS 3010: Pathophysiology
FALL 2016
Introduction The family member I will be focusing on in this paper will be my maternal grandfather, Andy Anderson. Mr. Anderson is 70 years old and was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease over 5 years ago. He is a 2 pack a day smoker and has been since the age of 16. In recent years, his symptoms have become worse. He has a cough that will not go away, as well as wheezing that is relatively constant. His sputum is yellow in color and sometimes can be white, …show more content…
It is the most common pulmonary disease in the world, especially prominent in India. The disease is correlated with an exaggerated response to respiratory irritants. Some examples of irritants include cigarette smoke, dust, chemicals, and fuel fumes. There are two clinical phenotypes of COPD. They are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis leads to an abundance of mucus secretions and a productive cough that lasts greater than three months of the year, for at least two years in a row. When the inhalation of the irritants occurs, it leads to infiltration and inflammation of the macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes located within the bronchial wall. Bronchial edema develops due to the chronic inflammation. Due to the edema, the size and number if goblet cells and mucous glands increase. The mucus produced by these enlarged cells is extremely thick making it difficult to clear. The airways have a dramatic decrease in function, leading to a compromised defense for the lungs. Since the lungs have a compromised defense, they are more prone to infection. COPD exacerbations are linked to lung infections. Emphysema is the second phenotype of COPD and affects the tissues differently than chronic bronchitis. In emphysema there is a permanent change in lung tissue. The gas exchange airways are enlarged and the alveoli are destroyed. The airways are not narrowed, rather the elastic recoil of the lungs leads to limited airflow. Large air spaces appear due to the destruction of the alveoli. These air spaces are not productive in gas exchange, resulting in hypoxia, ventilation-perfusion, and air trapping. The phenotype that Mr. Anderson has been diagnosed with is