Being diagnosed with COPD is devasting, but the disease does not have to ruin your life. There are several ways to manage the disease. Some treatments require medical treatment, and other treatments require medical intervention. In the early stages if COPD, quitting smoking can reduce the effects of COPD. In the later stages of the disease, many doctors recommend treating the disease with medications or surgery. Quitting Smoking Smoking will worsen the symptoms of COPD. When you are diagnosed with COPD, you should stop smoking immediately. Quitting can be a difficult task, but it is the best way to make sure the disease does not progress to the later stages of COPD. If you are having difficulty quitting, you should ask your doctor to recommend nicotine substitute products. …show more content…
Oral steroids will prevent the progression of COPD, but using oral steroids for an extended amount of time can cause cataracts and weight gain. Long-term use of oral steroids can also cause diabetes and osteoporoses. Theophylline is an inexpensive medication that is used to improve breathing and prevent COPD from progressing to the later stages. Doctors usually prescribe low does of the medication. After taking Theophylline, you might have a rapid heartbeat, tremor and headache. Antibiotics Pneumonia and influenza can worsen COPD symptoms. Many doctors will prescribe antibiotics to treat respiratory infections, but antibiotics are not used to treat the symptoms of COPD. Researchers are still studying the effects of antibiotics in people diagnosed with COPD. Lung therapies In the later stages of COPD, oxygen therapy is used to treat the symptoms of COPD. If you cannot get enough air into your lungs, you might not have enough oxygen in your blood. Your doctor can prescribe a device that can push air into your lungs. Your doctor may recommend a portable oxygen tank if your need to oxygen therapy for an extended amount of
Short acting anticholinergics are not considered relief medications because they normally take longer to work than our beta-agonist medications. Though the lists of short acting anticholinergics are short these medications are great for people with COPD. They have fewer side effects than beta-agonist drugs and they are good bronchodilators. The long acting anticholinergic drug takes about 20 minutes to work and can last up to 24 hours, although it is thought of as a “reliever” it’s long lasting effects would make it an excellent maintenance drug for patients with COPD
There are quite a few serious side effects associated with taking Symbicort that you should be aware of. Pneumonia and other lower respiratory tract infections are possible side effects. However, people with COPD have a higher chance of getting pneumonia. 1COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs. Symptoms include a change in the amount or color of mucus, fever, experiencing chills, and increased coughing or breathing problems.
It is described as being a “progressive lung disorder characterized by persistent airflow obstruction and chronic respiratory symptoms in response to inhaled cigarette smoke or other irritants or a deficiency of alpha-1-antitrypsin” (Krishnan et al., 2015, p. 70). Acute exacerbations of COPD are common and often leads to patients being hospitalized. The frequency of hospitalization tends to worsen with disease progression. Acute exacerbations of COPD are associated with a decreased quality of life, increased healthcare costs and increased mortality (Marchetti, Criner, & Albert, 2013). In the United States it is estimated that there are approximately 24 million adults with COPD (Pietrangelo, 2015).
Hello swapnil and naurin, Upon reading your presentation, I realized that naurin’s presentation is quite similar to swapnil’s presentation in terms of making plans for COPD patients. It was a good review going through and understanding about different oxygen devices. I also personally think the oxygen concentrator is more convenient and reliable source of oxygen delivery. However, there are other resources that might support liquid oxygen tanks for traveling.
If treatment for pneumonia is prolonged, it can lead to physical changes within the lungs causing the exchange of oxygen to be greatly diminished and results in respiratory failure.
The aerosol form of the steroid is highly recommended for asthma patients, since it rapidly reaches the throat area providing significant relief to patient. Some refute the negative effects of steroids which include ulcers, weight gain, cataracts, high blood pressure, and easy bruising. True, steroids do not have ideal side effects but neither do
Beta Blockers block all beta cells and need to be taken with cautious because they can block the lungs giving the patients a greater risk of bronchospasm. If those receptors are blocked, the patient can not broncho dilate as easily. Caffeine can affect those with asthma. Caffeine is a drug similar to theophylline. Theophylline is a bronchodilator drug that
This disease is caused by damaged tissue on the inside of the lungs that cause serious breathing problems for them. If the tissue on the inside of the lungs is damaged it could cause an excess amount of mucus or the lungs could collapses. Premature babies that are born less than 2.2 lb 's , are those who are most likely to end up having this disease. A ventilator is something that a baby might have to be put on if they have chronic lung disease because it will keep them breathing at a normal pace. A disease that could causes chronic lung disease is Patent ductus arteriosus.
Nursing assistants need to know many things when taking care of someone with COPD. Nursing assistants legally need to know about advanced directives, and living wills. They need to know these things because COPD is chronic and the person under our care may die from the disease. Nursing assistants need to know what the persons wishes are if they do pass.
Make sure you stay on top of your prescribed medication and think about including some natural remedies into your lifestyle. Healthy Lungs is a liquid formula that contains herbs that aid in soothing the mucus membranes, as well as having anti-spasmolytic actions, which help to relieve the airway spasms that occur in asthmatics. Q. How can an asthmatic be helped? A. Asthmatic’s should always have their inhaler on them, but may forget to use it when in a panic.
The general public may have a lack of knowledge about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Initiating coordinated COPD awareness campaigns and outreach programs for the community could help achieve that goal. Public health professionals should realize that not every individual would be motivated to seek preventive or support services. In awareness campaigns or programs, program managers could invite COPD survivors to tell their stories and reveal why the disease should be prevented or be taken seriously. Diagnosis tests, such as spirometric tests, could be implemented in one of the outreach programs to help determine individuals who may not know that they are atrisk of developing the disease.
The case we did at the final round was a patient who has experienced stroke recently with long term COPD. The stroke has been settled with some functional limitation of UL and LL functioning. The underlying concerns raised by the patient, however, was SOB which has been a leading cause diminishing the patient's functional performance. Thus the case requires a physio's comprehensive approach re how to help the patient manage the complex conditions.
Pneumonia has the possibility of treating the inflammation at home, and asthma has too. Pneumonia can usually be treated at home using antibiotics
Perhaps, you were influenced by your family, friends, or colleagues who smoke, and later on became a way for you to relate with them. How to quit smoking? In order for you to effectively quit smoking, you have to do something about your cravings and habits. Take time to think of what kind of smoker you are, and when are the times that you usually need to smoke and why.
YOU Smoking causes many harmful diseases and health problems. They are as follows: 1) Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 2) Stains teeth and causes Oral cancer 3) Lung cancer 4) Causes artery blockage 5) Makes our bone brittle 6) Weaker immune system 7) Buerger’s Disease.