 |
|
|
|
|
March 16th, 2011
10:30 AM ET
What should I expect after COPD diagnosis?Every weekday, a CNNHealth expert doctor answers a viewer question. On Wednesdays, it's Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society. Question asked by Pamela of Nashville, Tennessee: I just learned that I have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema. Can you tell me about it and what the prognosis is? I also have coronary artery disease and have had stents placed. Expert answer: Dear Pamela, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a disease that truly negatively affects quality of life. Patients with COPD are prone to asthma-like wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing that can occur in episodes caused by chromic inflammation. They're also prone to viral and bacterial infections. It is the fourth most common cause of death in the United States, killing an estimated 120,000 people each year. While COPD is most noted for episodes of shortness of breath and wheezing, the disease is typically slowly progressive and persistent. Medical treatment can be successful in relieving symptoms and reducing the severity of exacerbations. Treatment is with inhaled bronchodilators, steroids to reduce inflammation and other oral medications. Breathing problems? Check them with this test Early diagnosis and good treatment are important as they can reduce the number and severity of exacerbations and prolong survival. Some people can live with this condition for several decades. More than 80% of patients with COPD have a history of cigarette smoking. A few patients have it because of chemical inhalation exposure. Most are overweight or obese. Weight loss can also occur in severe COPD and is a sign of severe disease with a poor prognosis. At one time, we distinguished different types of COPD, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. All patients with COPD have an element of each, although one component will usually predominate in the individual patient. Chronic bronchitis is defined by a chronic cough that produces sputum. Emphysema is defined by enlargement and destruction of the airspaces in the lung. When the physician examines a patient with very severe COPD one finds decreased breath sounds, wheezes, crackles at the lungs, and distant heart sounds. The patient's diaphragm in limited in movement, meaning the patient cannot take in deep breaths. In extremely severe disease, the chest size is increased. Patients lean forward to use all the muscles of the chest and neck to bring air in. COPD can progress to cause heart failure, as the right side of the heart cannot pump blood into the damaged lungs. Could your job be hurting your lungs? Physicians use pulmonary function tests to assess the severity of COPD. These are tests to measure how fast it take a patient to fully exhale air, how much air he can exhale in one second, how much air he can inhale. X-ray and especially CT scans can also be used to assess damage to the lungs. The arterial blood gases are a series of blood tests to determine how much oxygen and carbon dioxide is in the blood. As the disease worsens oxygenation goes down and carbon dioxide levels rise. Blood gas abnormalities acutely worsen during COPD exacerbations and often worsen during exercise and sleep. Because most patients have a significant smoking history, most patients have many of the other illnesses associated with smoking, especially cardiovascular disease. These patients also have high risk for smoking related malignancies. Unfortunately, poor lung function often interferes with or prevents treatment of the other diseases.
soundoff (2,933 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 Next »Leave a Reply to Artie Vojtko
« Previous entryWhat you should know about radiation
|
  About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
 |
|
|
|
I love what you guys are up too. This kind of clever work and exposure! Keep up the awesome works guys I've added you guys to blogroll.|
https://www.openlearning.com/u/kirkegaardmcclure64/blog/OakTvStandsExcellentDecorInYourHomeProducts
Wow, fantastic blog format! How long have you ever been running a blog for? you make running a blog look easy. The overall glance of your website is wonderful, let alone the content!
http://www.geati.ifc-camboriu.edu.br/wiki/index.php/Pubic-Uncomfortable–Tips-When-Shaving-m
Ahaa, its nice dialogue regarding this piece of writing at this place at this web site, I have read all that, so at this time me also commenting here.|
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/external.html?link=https://prolicensekey.co/panda-dome-premium-crack/
Great items from you, man. I've be aware your stuff previous to and you're simply extremely fantastic. I actually like what you've got here, certainly like what you're saying and the best way in which you are saying it. You are making it entertaining and you still care for to stay it smart. I can not wait to read far more from you. That is really a great web site.|
http://sc.sie.gov.hk/TuniS/downloadcrack.info/avg-pc-tuneup-crack-keygen-latest-version/
Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your article seem to be running off the screen in Firefox. I'm not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with browser compatibility but I figured I'd post to let you know. The design look great though! Hope you get the problem fixed soon. Many thanks|
http://search.wi.gov/cpp/help/urlstatusgo.html?url=https://projectcrack.com/gridinsoft-anti-malware-crack-keygen/
buy essay paper online essay writers online phd thesis writing service marketing plan of samsung pdf
Fine way of telling, and pleasant article to obtain data regarding my presentation focus, which i am going to present in academy.|
http://unionisstrength.com/index.php?qa=user&qa_1=head31bojsen
You've made some really good points there. I looked on the web to find out more about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this site.|
http://pixelscholars.org/engl202-022/members/ashby27mcclellan/activity/625019/
Have you ever considered creating an e-book or guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog centered on the same subjects you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my subscribers would appreciate your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e mail.|
http://www.sviluppoperleuropa.it/sve/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=user&id=1306566
Greetings! Very useful advice within this article! It's the little changes which will make the greatest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!|
http://www.3staronly.com/members/aaennorwood3/activity/939177/
Hey there! I know this is kinda off topic however , I'd figured I'd ask. Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest writing a blog post or vice-versa? My site discusses a lot of the same topics as yours and I feel we could greatly benefit from each other. If you're interested feel free to send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Great blog by the way!|
http://www.presepepiumazzo.it/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=user&id=1506909
Thank you, I've just been looking for information approximately this
topic for ages and yours is the best I have found out till now.
But, what about the bottom line? Are you sure in regards
to the supply?
I needed to thank you for this wonderful read!! I definitely loved every bit of it. I have you book-marked to check out new stuff you post…
https://extraproxies.com
write essay customer service essay services buy law dissertation online cheap essay writing service us
Spot on with this write-up, I actually think this amazing site needs much more attention. I'll probably be returning to read through more, thanks for the info!|
https://www.bonanza.com/users/47876390/profile
Hello, I enjoy reading through your article. I like to write a little comment to support you.|
http://www.geati.ifc-camboriu.edu.br/wiki/index.php/Forget-The-Classic-Business-Plan-Unless-Are-Generally-In-School-s
There's definately a lot to learn about this subject. I really like all the points you have made.|
https://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/PageRedirect.aspx?redirectedurl=https://xproductkey.co/ashampoo-winoptimizer-crack/
Amazing blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers? I'm hoping to start my own website soon but I'm a little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I'm totally overwhelmed .. Any suggestions? Appreciate it!|
https://historyhub.history.gov/external-link.jspa?url=http://getwindowsactivator.info/lumion-8-activation-code/
Great beat ! I would like to apprentice even as you amend your site, how can i subscribe for a weblog web site? The account helped me a acceptable deal. I were tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided vivid transparent idea|
http://www.mediazioniapec.it/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=user&id=3414811
Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to assert that I get actually enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently quickly.|
http://www.teknallsnc.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&task=user&id=1811185
Hmm is anyone else experiencing problems with the images on this blog loading? I'm trying to figure out if its a problem on my end or if it's the blog. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.|
https://pbase.com/topics/gamble30gamble/latest_apps_for_android_user
Hurrah! Finally I got a weblog from where I can in fact get useful facts regarding my study and knowledge.|
https://list.ly/waughkristensen436381
I was recommended this website by my cousin. I am not sure whether this post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my difficulty. You're amazing! Thanks!|
https://list.ly/kragelunddonnelly948841
Amazing! Its actually awesome article, I have got much clear idea concerning from this paragraph.|
https://www.bonanza.com/users/47730043/profile
Hi there every one, here every one is sharing these kinds of knowledge, therefore it's pleasant to read this webpage, and I used to go to see this webpage all the time.|
https://cutt.us/T2voF
Great post. I will be dealing with many of these issues as well..|
https://homecracks.com/spyhunter-crack-key/
First of all I want to say excellent blog! I had a quick question that I'd like to ask if you don't mind. I was curious to find out how you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing. I've had difficulty clearing my mind in getting my ideas out there. I do take pleasure in writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally wasted just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or tips? Thanks!|
https://crackze.com/bluebeam-revu-standerd-crack/
Nice post. I was checking continuously this blog and I'm impressed! Extremely helpful information particularly the last part 🙂 I care for such information much. I was seeking this particular information for a very long time. Thank you and best of luck.|
https://crackze.com/betternet-vpn-premium-crack/
bachelor thesis writing service essay writing services reviews edit essay online spelman college essay help
This blog was... how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something which helped me. Cheers!|
https://files.fm/f/g8et4xwzu
I visit everyday some web sites and sites to read content, except this web site provides quality based posts.|
https://uberant.com/article/1210527-how-to-repair-svchost-exe-error-for-windows-xp-files/
Hi, this weekend is pleasant designed for me, because this point in time i am reading this enormous informative post here at my home.|
http://isms.pk/members/hallbille1/activity/493400/
Hello! I've been reading your web site for some time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Austin Texas! Just wanted to say keep up the great job!|
http://camp-ete-2018.matutinal.fr/questions/index.php?qa=user&qa_1=demantwillis73
It is perfect time to make some plans for the longer term and it's time to be happy. I've read this post and if I may just I desire to suggest you few attention-grabbing things or advice. Perhaps you could write next articles relating to this article. I wish to read more issues approximately it!|
https://genius.com/djurhuuslyon3
I am really glad to glance at this webpage posts which carries tons of useful information, thanks for providing these information.|
http://www.educacional.com.br/recursos/redirect.asp?url=https://cds-key.com/clean-mymac-x/
This is my first time pay a visit at here and i am genuinely impressed to read all at alone place.|
https://homecracks.com/latest-version-disk-drill-pro-crack/
I have read so many content regarding the blogger lovers except this paragraph is actually a good piece of writing, keep it up.|
https://homecracks.com/em-client-pro-crack/
I have been exploring for a bit for any high-quality articles or blog posts on this sort of area . Exploring in Yahoo I ultimately stumbled upon this site. Studying this information So i am satisfied to express that I have a very good uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I most definitely will make certain to do not disregard this web site and give it a glance regularly.|
https://homecracks.com/charles-proxy-crack/
dfdsfgsdfgdsf https://google.com
I like reading a post that can make men and women think. Also, thanks for allowing for me to comment!
https://extraproxies.com/
Such a nice calm relaxing blog
https://tinyurl.com/tommy32
Have you ever considered creating an ebook or guest authoring on other blogs? I have a blog based on the same subjects you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my subscribers would enjoy your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e-mail.|
https://crackze.com/winrar-crack/
It's going to be ending of mine day, but before end I am reading this wonderful paragraph to increase my know-how.|
https://crackwere.com/4ukey-iphone-unlocker-crack/
I've been surfing on-line more than three hours lately, yet I by no means discovered any attention-grabbing article like yours. It is lovely worth sufficient for me. In my view, if all web owners and bloggers made just right content material as you did, the net will likely be a lot more useful than ever before.|
https://crackze.com/4k-video-downloader-crack/
dfdsfgsdfgdsf https://google.com
Have you ever considered publishing an e-book or guest authoring on other sites? I have a blog based on the same subjects you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my viewers would enjoy your work. If you're even remotely interested, feel free to send me an e mail.|
https://crackze.com/vsdc-video-editor-pro-crack/
Hi there to all, how is the whole thing, I think every one is getting more from this site, and your views are nice in support of new visitors.|
https://hellocrack.com/uubyte-wintousb-crack/
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon every day. It will always be useful to read content from other authors and use something from other web sites. |
https://crackze.com/easeus-data-recovery-wizard-crack/
Hello, i believe that i saw you visited my website thus i came to go back the desire?.I am trying to find things to enhance my web site!I suppose its ok to make use of a few of your ideas!!|
https://crackze.com/serif-affinity-designer-crack/
Thanks , I've just been searching for info approximately this subject for a long time and yours is the greatest I've came upon so far. However, what in regards to the conclusion? Are you certain concerning the supply?|
https://crackze.com/norton-secuirty-premium-crack/