Everyone Healthy Library
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
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Get urgent medical care now if there is any severe, sudden, rapidly worsening or worrying symptom, especially:
- chest pain, pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- trouble breathing, blue lips, severe wheeze or choking
- stroke-like symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or speech trouble
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Connected health information
Explore this condition in a clear order
Condition overview
Attributes
Linked signs and symptoms
13Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
- Breath Shortness (Dyspnoea)
- Breathing Rapid Hyperventilation (Tachypnea)
- Breathing: Respiratory Distress
- Breathing: Visible Increased Effort (Use of Accessory Muscles)
- Chest Tightness
- Cough
- Cough Productive
- Enlarged Chest (Hyperinflation)
- Fatigue
- Lower Respiratory Tract Infection
- Respiratory Chest Infection
- Upper Respiratory Tract Infection
- Wheezing
Linked drugs / medications
1Medication information is educational only. A doctor or pharmacist should advise whether any medicine is appropriate.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
2Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Alternative and complementary therapies
1Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
8These are pulled from both EH diagnostic-test link tables, including the older large test-link table.
Biological markers/agents
8This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
Often increased
4- Carbon Dioxide Total Content (TCO2)Reference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 20–27 mEq/L; Newborn (0 - 1month): 13–21 mEq/LLinked diagnostic testsCarbon Dioxide Total Content (TCO2)
- Hemoglobin (Hb)Reference range exampleFemale: 78–100 gm/dL; Male: 76–100 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsHemoglobin (Hb) Concentration, Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH) Weight Test
- Partial Pressure of Arterial Carbon Dioxide (PaCO2)Reference range exampleAll: 35–45 mm HgLinked diagnostic testsPartial Pressure of Arterial Carbon Dioxide (PCO2, PaCO2)
- RBC MassReference range exampleFemale: 36–48 %; Male: 42–52 %Linked diagnostic testsHeamatocrit (Hct)
Often decreased
4- Apolipoprotein B (Apo B)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 47–115 mg/dL; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 52–120 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsApolipoprotein B Concentration
- Forced Expiratory Flow Between 25% and 75% of FVC (FEF25-75)Reference range exampleAll: 60–100 %Linked diagnostic testsSpirometry
- Functional Residual CapacityReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 2,500–3,600 mLLinked diagnostic testsFunctional Residual Capacity
- TriglyceridesReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 32–137 mg/dL; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 35–155 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsTriglyceride (TG's) Concentration, Triglyceride (TGs) Concentration
Introduction / full article
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Efficacy of Alternative and Mental Health Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:
Tai Chi:
Recommendation: weakly in favor (evidence shows that Tai Chi has supportive benefits in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence
* www.gradeworkinggroup.org
Summary References
Treatments:
1. http://pats.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/3/3/234
2. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Copd/Copd_SignsAndSymptoms.html
3. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000091.htm
4. http://www.medicinenet.com/chronic_obstructive_pulmonary_disease_copd/page4.htm
5. http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Chronic-Obstructive-Pulmonary-Disease.htm
6. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx
7. http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/copd1.shtml
8. http://www.copd-international.com/
9. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec04/ch045/ch045a.html