Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - Medtick
Medtick

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

What is it?

To describe a collection of lung conditions (please note these lung conditions can be independent of each other or also in any combination).

  • It occurs because of the flow of air into the lungs and more importantly the flow out of the lungs is made more difficult.
  • This condition occurs more in older people and gets worst over time.

Diagnosis Tests

  • One can take a COPD assessment test and show the score to your Medical prescriber/Healthcare professional

The Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ October 2020, Vol 305, No 7942;305 (7942):DOI:10.1211/PJ.2020.20208431

verywellhealth

Oxygen Saturation test (via Oxygen level meter)

  • Oxygen saturation (SpO2) is an important diagnostic tool and measures the amount of haemoglobin-bound oxygen and free oxygen.
  • The partial pressure of arterial O2 (PaO2) is measured by arterial blood gas monitoring. In healthy individuals, SpO2 is usually >95%.
  • In patients with chronic lung disease or sleep apnoea, SpO2 can range between 88–92%.

McNicholas W, Kent, Mitchell. Hypoxemia in patients with COPD: cause, effects, and disease progression. COPD 2011;:199. doi:10.2147/copd.s10611

Cause

  • Narrowing of the lungs airways
  • Naturally having small airways
  • Poor Lung growth and development
  • Tobacco smoke
  • Indoor and outdoor air pollution;
  • Occupational exposures (e.g. dust, chemical agents and fumes)
  • Genetic factors
  • Age (although it is unclear if age is reflective of cumulative exposure to risk factors in life or if healthy ageing can lead to COPD);
  • Sex (there is a greater burden of airway disease in women compared to men, despite similar exposure to tobacco smoke)
  • Socioeconomic status (if living in poor conditions)
  • Recurrent chest infections
  • Breathing conditions for example:
  • Excess mucus production
  • Lung changes (i.e. tumour)
  • Lung cancer

Symptoms

  • Short of breath and/or breathing difficulties?
  • Increasing breathlessness – this may only happen when exercising at first, and you may sometimes wake up at night feeling breathless?
  • Persistent wheezing?
  • Persistent chesty cough with phlegm that does not go away?
  • Regular and recurring chest infections?
  • Fast beating of the heart and arrhythmias especially if having a ‘flare up’ (compensatory mechanism for hypoxia or poor right heart ventricular function (in the setting of cor pulmonale)?

Less common symptoms:

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

Do not wait, phone for an ambulance if have or develop:

  • Chest pain
  • Coughing up blood

These conditions can lead to:

  • Chest infections
  • Condition is generally worsening as exposed to causes.
  • Depression
  • Decreased fat-free mass
  • Impaired systemic muscle function
  • Osteoporosis
  • Anaemia
  • Pulmonary hypertension
  • Cor pulmonale- abnormal enlargement of the right side of the heart as a result of disease of the lungs or the pulmonary blood vessels. symptoms include ankle and/or body swelling and/or cyanosis (purple lips and/or bluish discoloration to your hands or feet) due to low oxygen levels in the blood.
  • Left-sided heart failure
  • Change in mental state
  • Memory loss

One can have a combination of obstructive and restrictive conditions

Results:

  • Diagnosis and tests to determine respiratory disease obstructive and restrictive lung conditions:

For further information visit:

Inhaler Technique

If condition is worsening consider the reasons below:

  • A big concern in COPD is the use of inhalers : many develop a poor inhaler technique , always check with your pharmacist your inhaler technique.

Tips when undertaking inhaler technique:

  • How often do you use your blue inhaler (more one uses, more poor control)?
  • Do you taste your medication (press your MDI inhaler to early)?
  • Do you feel a hit at the back of your throat (inhaling in too sharply/strongly)?
  • Mouth coated in powder (not inhaling strong enough)?
  • Spacer makes a whistling noise  (inhaling too strongly)?

According to the 2018 GOLD guidelines,

Prevention and maintenance therapy recommendations are as follows:

  • Smoking cessation is key.
    • Pharmacotherapy and nicotine replacement increase long-term smoking abstinence rates, as do legislative bans on smoking.
    • The effectiveness and safety of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid are uncertain.
  • Pharmacologic therapy can reduce the symptoms of COPD, reduce the severity and frequency of exacerbations, and improve exercise tolerance and health status.
  • Pharmacologic treatment regimens should be individualized. They should be guided by symptom severity; exacerbation risk; adverse effects; comorbidities; drug availability and cost; and patient response, preference, and ability to utilize the various drug delivery devices.
  • Inhaler technique should be assessed regularly.
  • Pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations decrease the incidence of lower respiratory tract infections.
  • Pulmonary rehabilitation improves symptoms, physical and emotional participation in everyday activities, and quality of life.
  • Patients with severe resting chronic hypoxemia have improved survival with long-term oxygen therapy.
  • In patients with stable COPD and resting or exercise-induced moderate desaturation, routine long-term oxygen treatment is not recommended; however, consider individual patient factors regarding the need for supplemental oxygen.
  • In patients with stable COPD, combinations of short-acting beta2-agonists and short-acting antimuscarinics are superior to either type of medication alone improving FEV1 and symptoms.
  • Long-acting antimuscarinics have a greater effect on exacerbation reduction compared with long-acting beta2-agonists and decrease hospitalizations.
  • In patients with severe chronic hypercapnia and a history of hospitalization for acute respiratory failure, long-term non-invasive ventilation may prevent rehospitalization and decrease mortality.
  • Selected patients with advanced emphysema refractory to optimized medical care may benefit from surgical or bronchoscopic interventional treatments.
  • In advanced COPD, palliative approaches are effective in controlling symptoms.

This condition may show similar symptoms to:

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice

Detailed Information

Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).

© Medtick - 2025. All Rights Reserved.