Clinical manifestations of copd

Maria Charikiopoulou 1,2, Pantelis Theodoros Nikolaidis 3, Beat Knechtle 4*, Thomas Rosemann 4, Aggeliki Rapti 1,2 and Georgia Trakada 5 • 1Pulmonary Rehabilitation Department, General Hospital for Chest Diseases of Athens “SOTIRIA”, Athens, Greece • 22nd Pulmonary Department, General Hospital for Chest Diseases of Athens “SOTIRIA”, Athens, Greece • 3Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Nikaia, Greece • 4Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland • 5Division of Pulmonology, Department of Clinical Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Alexandra Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease with multiple systemic manifestations and comorbidities, which contribute independently to its total morbidity and mortality. Pulmonary rehabilitation is an evidence-based intervention that is indicated for COPD patients who remain symptomatic, despite optimal pharmacological therapy. Although it is well documented in pure COPD, the role of pulmonary rehabilitation is uncertain in coexisting comorbidities. The aim of the present study was to clarify the effect of a pulmonary rehabilitation program in COPD patients with concomitant comorbidities. Methods: Thirty two patients with COPD were evaluated before and after a comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program, in terms of dyspnea, quality of life (QOL), pulmonary function tests and exercise capacity. The pati...

COPD hypoxia happens when a lung disease like emphysema makes it difficult to breathe, reducing the amount of oxygen in your body. This condition can be life threatening. The inability to get enough oxygen into the lungs raises the risk of developing Hypoxia can lead to many serious, sometimes life threatening complications. But if you know what to look for, you can manage the condition before it leads to dangerous complications. You may have heard of both hypoxia and Hypoxemia is a term to describe when oxygen levels are low in the blood. Hypoxia is a term to describe low levels of oxygen in the tissue. Your doctor can measure your blood and body’s oxygen levels in a couple of different ways. The less invasive method is using a Pulse oximeter level of less than 90 percent is considered abnormal and corresponds to an arterial blood oxygen level of 60mmHg, which would indicate hypoxemia. Tissue hypoxia is generally identified by other means like organ function, lactate levels, and central venous oxygenation. Hypoxia may be minor or severe while also varying in the length of time your body is affected. Sometimes, it comes and goes rather quickly, while other times, it can last for months. There are four types of hypoxia: • Hypoxemic hypoxia. This is when oxygen is unable to pass through • Circulatory hypoxia. Here, the heart is unable to pump enough blood, which impairs oxygen delivery. • Anemia hypoxia. This is when low hemoglobin in the blood reduces oxygen delivery. • His...