and treatable. Research on COPD gives us a better understanding as to what causes this disease, what symptoms arise, classification of COPD severity, and diagnosis. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Some common causes of COPD include smoking, genetics, bacteria and viruses, and other environmental factors. Cigarette smoking is the leading environmental factor associated with COPD and smokers are at greater risk for developing this disease as opposed to non-smokers (Clancy & Turner, 2013). According to Cope (2014), cigarette smoking triggers inflammation in the central and peripheral airways and lung tissue, all of which disrupt the lungs defense mechanisms, resulting in an accumulation of mucus that harbors bacteria which ultimately leads to infection. Genetic risk factors, such as Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), has been associated with the emphysema type of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, n.d.). The protein that helps protect the lungs against damage from toxins is Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT). People who lack this protective enzyme experience damage to the alveoli and the airways leading to them (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, …show more content…
n.d.). This disease is accompanied by several signs and symptoms. Symptoms become progressively worse as COPD becomes more severe. These symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, chronic cough that may produce mucus, cyanosis, frequent respiratory infections, lack of energy, and swelling in feet or legs. Exacerbations, the worsening of symptoms, are likely to occur to people with COPD. Lung damage depends on how severe these symptoms are, however, these symptoms may not always indicate that an individual may have COPD. For this reason, it is important to talk to a doctor if any of these symptoms are experienced. For example, chronic coughing is one of the first signs of COPD. Coughing serves several purposes such as protecting the airways from inhaled irritants and removing phlegm or sputum from the lungs, but excessive amounts of mucus can result in pneumonia because the mucus prevents oxygen from entering into the blood. A lack of oxygen in the blood may also lead to another symptom called cyanosis. Cyanosis is a discoloration of the skin, gums, fingernails, or mucous membranes due to a lack of oxygen in the blood. When blood cells lack oxygen, the color of the blood cells change from bright red to a bluish tint. Thus lung damage in people with COPD have a risk of developing cyanosis. Doctors use several methods to determine the severity of COPD.
The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) created a system that categorizes the severity of COPD into stages. The GOLD system uses the forced expiratory volume (FEV1), the maximum amount of air you can forcefully blow out of your lungs in one second, and breaks that down into four stages. In stage one, airflow limitations are mild and most individuals do not know they have COPD. This is due to the fact that symptoms may be very mild and may be attributed to more common explanations, such as a cold. In stage two, airflow limitations begin to exacerbate and symptoms become more apparent. Stage three of COPD is marked by an increase in the severity of coughing and the worsening of symptoms. Airway passages are restricted and/or obstructed. Lastly, in stage four of COPD, respiratory failure may lead to heart complications and an impaired quality of
life.