The leading cause of COPD is smoking. Between 15% and 20% of long-term smokers will develop COPD. Prolonged tobacco use causes lung inflammation and destroys air sacs in the lungs. (In rare cases, an enzyme deficiency called alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency can cause emphysema in non-smokers.)
Other risk factors for COPD are exposure to secondhand smoke, male gender, and working or living in a polluted environment.
Symptoms
Shortness of breath (dyspnea) persisting for months to years
An examination often reveals increased work involved in breathing: nasal flaring may be evident during air intake, and the lips may be pursed (the shape lips make when you whistle) while exhaling.
During a flare of disease, chest inspection reveals contraction of the muscles between the ribs during inhalation (intercostal retraction) and the use of accessory breathing muscles. The respiratory rate (amount of breaths per minute) may be elevated, and wheezing may be heard through a stethoscope.
A chest X-ray can show an over-expanded lung (hyperinflation), and a chest CT scan may show emphysema.
A sample of blood taken from an artery (arterial blood gas) can show low levels of oxygen (hypoxemia) and high levels of carbon dioxide (respiratory acidosis). Pulmonary function tests show decreased airflow rates while exhaling and over-expanded lungs.
Treatment
Treatment for COPD includes inhalers that dilate the airways (bronchodilators) and sometimes theophylline. The COPD patient must stop smoking.
Pulmonary embolus (3 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
A pulmonary embolus is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by fat, air, blood clot, or tumor cells. Reviewer: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 03/01/2007
Pulmonary tuberculosis (9 images)
Average Rating:
(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious bacterial infection that mainly involves the lungs, but may spread to other organs. Reviewer: Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Veteran Affairs, VA New Jersey Health Care System, East Orange, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 08/03/2007
Pulmonary actinomycosis (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Pulmonary actinomycosis is a lung infection caused by the bacteria actinomyces or propioni. Reviewer: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Reviewprovided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 05/03/2006
Pulmonary nocardiosis (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Pulmonary nocardiosis is an infection of the lung that is caused by the fungus-like bacteria Nocardia asteroides. Reviewer: Charlotte Grayson, MD, Private Practice specializing in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Smyrna, GA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Date: 07/28/2006
Pulmonary atresia (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Pulmonary atresia is an extremely rare form of congenital heart disease in which the pulmonary valve does not form properly. The pulmonary valve is a flap-like opening on the right side of the heart that allows blood to move to the lungs. In pulmonary atresia, a solid sheet of tissue forms where the valve opening should be. Because of this defect, blood from the right side of the heart cannot go to the lungs to pick up oxygen. Reviewer: Anne J. L. Chun, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY.Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 07/06/2006
Pulmonary edema (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Pulmonary edema is an abnormal build up of fluid in the lungs, which leads to swelling. Reviewer: Glenn Gandelman, MD, MPH, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Date: 07/17/2006
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (3 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis involves scarring or thickening of tissues deep in the lung without a known cause. Reviewer: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 05/03/2006
Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula is a condition in which an abnormal connection (fistula) develops between an artery and vein in the lungs. As a result, blood passes through the lungs without receiving enough oxygen. Reviewer: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 11/13/2006
Coccidioidomycosis - acute pulmonary (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Acute pulmonary coccidioidomycosis is a lung infection caused by breathing in spores of Coccidioides immitis, a fungus found in the soil in certain parts of the southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Central and South America. Reviewer: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 08/07/2006
Coccidioidomycosis - chronic pulmonary (3 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Chronic pulmonary coccidioidomycosis is a lung infection caused by breathing in the fungus Coccidioides. Reviewer: Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Veteran Affairs, VA System, East Orange, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 08/10/2007
Drug-induced pulmonary disease (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Drug-induced pulmonary disease is lung disease caused by a bad reaction to a medication. Reviewer: Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Veteran Affairs, VA New Jersey Health Care System, East Orange, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 08/03/2007
Diffuse interstitial lung disease (5 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis is the name given to a group of disorders characterized by inflammation and eventually scarring of the deep lung tissues, leading to shortness of breath. Reviewer: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 05/03/2006
Pulmonary hypertension (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Pulmonary hypertension is abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. Reviewer: Updated by: A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: Greg Juhn, M.T.P.W., David R. Eltz, Kelli A. Stacy. Previously reviewed by David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. (March 2007)Date: 08/21/2007
Goodpasture syndrome (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Goodpasture syndrome is a disease that affects the kidneys and lungs. It usually involves rapidly progressive kidney failure that develops in days to weeks along with lung disease (cough, shortness of breath, and blood in the sputum. Some forms of the disease involve just the lung or kidney, not both. Reviewer: David M. Charytan, MD,Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 11/16/2006
Pulmonary valve stenosis (3 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Pulmonary valve stenosis is a condition, usually present at birth (congenital), in which outflow of blood from the right ventricle (lower chamber) of the heart is obstructed at the level of the pulmonic valve (the valve which separates the heart from the pulmonary artery. Reviewer: J.A. Lee, M.D., Division of Surgery, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 05/30/2006
ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening condition that causes lung swelling¿and fluid build up in the air sacs. ARDS is a medical emergency. While ARDS shares some similarities with infant respiratory distress syndrome, its causes and treatments are different. Reviewer: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 05/03/2006
Acute mountain sickness (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Acute mountain sickness is an illness that can affect mountain climbers, hikers, skiers, or travelers who climb too fast. It usually occurs when¿people rapidly reach a¿high altitude (typically above 8,000 feet or 2,400 meters.¿ Reviewer: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-RooseveltHospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed HealthcareNetwork.Date: 03/21/2006
Histoplasmosis - acute (primary) pulmonary (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Acute pulmonary histoplasmosis is a respiratory infection caused by inhaling the spores of the dimorphic (exists in two forms) fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. This fungus is commonly found in the soil along river valleys. It gets into the soil mostly from bird and bat droppings. The fungus exists as a mold in nature and transforms into a yeast in the human body. Reviewer: Monica Gandhi MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 05/26/2006
Histoplasmosis - chronic pulmonary (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Chronic pulmonary histoplasmosis is a long-term respiratory infection caused by breathing the spores of the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. See also: Acute pulmonary histoplasmosis; Disseminated histoplasmosis; Skin lesion of histoplasmosis. Reviewer: Andrew Schriber, M.D., F.C.C.P., Specialist in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Virtua Memorial Hospital, Mount Holly, New Jersey. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 11/12/2007
Parapneumonic pulmonary effusion (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Parapneumonic pulmonary effusion is an accumulation of fluid between layers of the membrane lining the lung and the chest cavity (pleural effusion) that develops in the setting of pneumonia. Reviewer: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 11/13/2006
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