subject: COPD Symptoms and Conditions [print this page] COPD Symptoms and Conditions COPD Symptoms and Conditions
COPD is the short form for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. The disease gets worse as time passes, in other words it is a progressive disease. Those who have this disease will find it difficult to breathe.
Among the top causes of this disease is cigarette smoking. Another leading cause this disease is exposing one's lungs to different types of irritants including air pollution, chemical fumes, and dust.
Any disease that affects the lungs can cause COPD symptoms. Pursed lip breathing, cyanosis, barrel chest, and productive cough are some of these symptoms.
Cyanosis is a condition in which in which one's nailbeds, lips, and skin get a bluish tingle. The reason for this is poor oxygen supply.
Productive cough is the kind of cough that comes when a person's airways contract due to inflammation and mucus. This contraction of the person's airways results in reduction of the effectiveness of the cough.
The amount of air flowing through the lungs is limited; as a result the time needed by the lung to exhale is increased. Due to the loss of elasticity by the alveoli the lung are forced to exhale forcefully. The forceful exhalation is needed to reduce the time needed to exhale. Lung pressure increases due to this forceful exhalation and this could result in the collapse of the already structurally weakened airway. To prevent this collapse the body uses pursed-lip breathing. This kind of breathing increases the exhalation time at the mouth level. This increase in exhalation time prevents the lungs from collapsing and only to a certain extent helps forced exhalation.
Barrel chest is formed when the lungs expand. When this happens the diaphragm is pushed down and as a result it can't contract efficiently. This results in the reduction of efficiency of the accessory breathing muscles. The ones who efficiency are reduced are those in the upper chest and neck as well as the ribs.
Shortness of breath, chronic cough, hemoptysis, weight loss, and lower extremity edema are some of the common COPD symptoms.
Increase in sputum production, chest tightness, clubbing of fingers are also included under COPD symptoms.
