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Nursing Knowledge
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung disease characterized by chronic obstruction of lung airflow that interferes with normal breathing and is not fully reversible. COPD is an umbrella term for two distinct respiratory conditions, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. They are both characterized by chronic inflammation, airflow limitation, and tissue destruction. While the condition is chronic and frequent exacerbations can occur, it is treatable through lifestyle measures and pharmacologic treatment.
The most common cause of COPD is long-term exposure to lung irritants (harmful particles or gases), the most common being cigarette smoke.
Other risk factors for the development of COPD include:
As a nurse, part of your role will be educating clients and communities about these risk factors and promoting behaviors to reduce risk, such as smoking cessation and avoiding exposure to lung irritants.
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The symptoms of COPD can vary from person to person. Common symptoms of COPD include:
The GOLD staging system of COPD by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease classifies the severity of COPD into 4 stages, primarily based on lung function:
Note: While classifying COPD into these stages can be helpful, individual symptoms and impact of the disease can vary significantly.
Emphysema is a type of COPD. COPD is an umbrella term that includes both chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Emphysema specifically involves damage to the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs, leading to shortness of breath. Chronic bronchitis involves inflamed airways and mucus production. Patients can have one or both conditions. Diagnosis and management require healthcare provider input.
Causes, symptoms, similarities and differences, diagnosis and treatment of Cushing Disease and Cushing Syndrome
The damage to the airways from COPD will worsen over time from:
If you notice these signs in your client, it’s important to report them to the healthcare provider as soon as possible for further assessment and treatment adjustments.
A COPD exacerbation is a period of time when COPD symptoms are significantly worse than usually. Exacerbations may be triggered by respiratory infections or exposure to environmental pollutants. COPD exacerbations can be serious and lead to other complications like respiratory failure, so it’s important to seek medical attention promptly. As a nurse, part of your role will be teaching clients to recognize the signs of a flare-up and understand when to seek help, as well as how to avoid known triggers.
Symptoms include:
Some specific aspects of COPD treatment from the perspective of nursing care include:
In general, the nursing care for a client with COPD should be individualized, client-centered, and focused on optimizing quality of life and reducing the risk of exacerbations.
Long-term treatment:
Acute treatment:
Emphysema is one of the 2 main forms of COPD: chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Note: Most people with COPD have a combination of both conditions.
The difference between asthma and COPD is based on the combination of conditions and symptoms present:
Asthma–COPD overlap syndrome is identified in clinical practice by the features that it shares with both asthma and COPD. (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and GINA Science Committees)
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