Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Christopher Lanenga Kendra Tillis Mandy Duea Marna Nersesian Michael Eiden HCS 330 October 4, 2010 Sheela Hirao Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Although many have heard of the destruction smoking and nicotine can do, much only associate lung cancer with this deadly habit; however, a more common disease can develop. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the most frequent form of lung disease, which typically develops after long-term exposure to irritants that damage the lungs and the airways. COPD breaks down into two forms, which are chronic bronchitis, a long-term cough with mucous, and emphysema, defined as a destruction of the lungs over time. In the United States, approximately…show more content…
COPD, also known as emphysema or chronic bronchitis dates back to 1814 when Badham described chronic cough and mucus hyper secretion as symptoms. Although COPD is a disease recognized to affect mainly smokers, it also occurs in non-smokers as well (Petty, Thomas L., 2006). COPD is a major cause of a number of disabilities and the fourth leading cause of death among Americans. COPD is a slow developing disease. There currently is no cure for COPD however, treatment and lifestyle changes can help patients to feel better and slow down the advancement of the disease. The leading causes of COPD are smoking, exposure to secondhand smoke, and chemicals. People who suffer from COPD have blocked tubes that carry air back and forth from the lungs. Side effects caused by the disease include coughing that causes large amounts of phlegm, wheezing, shortness of breath, frequent respiratory infections, and chest tightness (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute,…show more content…
The most common etiology is smoking. In the United States there are roughly 90% of smokers that have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Smokers that have this disease will usually have symptoms of shortness of breath, coughing along with destruction of the lungs faster than non-smokers. Indoors air pollution is another etiology of COPD, mainly brought on by cooking stoves. Little scientific proof has shown that outdoor pollution is a contributing cause of COPD. Most outdoor air pollution causes allergy problems that in some cases could be thought of as COPD. Occupational pollution has been implicated as a cause of COPD, but there have not been very many cases of this nature. Occupational pollution consists of construction workers, metal workers along with coal miners. These occupations can increase the risks of COPD. COPD is rarely found to be genetic however, there has been a few that shows genetic signs of the disease. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease can be very critical, if the symptoms are not taken note of and take actions to treat the disease, because there is still no cure for the disease, just treatment to slow down the

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