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• BRONQUITIS CRONICA
• tos productiva durante 3 meses al año durante 2 años consecutivos.
• disnea y obstrucción de las vías respiratorias
• se presentan de forma intermitente o continua.
• La inflamación de las vías respiratorias más grandes conduce al engrosamiento de la
mucosa y a la hipersecreción de moco, tos productiva.
• Inflamacion de bronquiolos más pequeños produce obstrucción del flujo de aire
EPOC
• ENFISEMA
• Agrandamiento irreversible de los espacios aéreos distales a los bronquiolos
terminales, + destrucción de sus paredes,
• sin fibrosis evidente.
• El defecto patológico primario en el enfisema está en la unidad respiratoria,
donde la pérdida de tejido elástico da como resultado una pérdida de la
tensión de retroceso necesaria para sostener las vías respiratorias distales
durante la espiración.
• La pérdida de la superficie alveolar y el lecho capilar que la acompaña para el
intercambio de gases contribuyen a la hipoxia y disnea progresivas.
¿cuál es el predominante en este paciente?
• Next: Questions
• A.
• What are the two major clinical syndromes classified as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? How do they differ?
• A. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is defined by the presence of persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation caused by airway and alveolar abnormalities resulting from exposure to noxious
particles or gases. COPD is often described as two distinct processes, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, both of which can lead to the development of fixed airway obstruction. Any given individual may have
components of both processes present.
• Chronic bronchitis is defined by a clinical history of productive cough for 3 months of the year for 2 consecutive years. Both dyspnea and airway obstruction, often with an element of reversibility, are intermittently to
continuously present. Chronic bronchitis predominantly impacts the airways. Inflammation of the larger airways leads to mucosal thickening and mucus hypersecretion, which contributes to the productive cough.
Extension of the inflammatory changes into smaller bronchioles produces airflow obstruction.
• Pulmonary emphysema is a condition marked by an irreversible enlargement of the airspaces distal to the terminal bronchioles, accompanied by the destruction of their walls, most often without obvious fibrosis. In
contrast to chronic bronchitis, the primary pathologic defect in emphysema is not in the airways but rather in the respiratory unit walls, where the loss of elastic tissue results in a loss of the recoil tension necessary to
support distal airways during expiration. Progressive dyspnea and nonreversible obstruction accompany the airspace destruction without mucus hypersecretion or productive cough. Furthermore, the loss of alveolar
surface area and the accompanying capillary bed for gas exchange contribute to progressive hypoxia and dyspnea.
• B.
• Of the two syndromes above, which is predominant in this patient? What are the epidemiology and predisposing factors for this condition?
• B. The chronic productive cough and thick sputum production present in this patient are characteristic of chronic bronchitis. Cigarette smoking remains the principal cause of disease in up to 90% of patients with
chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Beyond tobacco exposure, population-based studies suggest that chronic dust (including silica and cotton) or chemical fume exposure is a significant contributing risk factor for
COPD. In the developing world, indoor exposure to smoke from burning biofuels is a major cause of COPD. The most important identified genetic risk factor for the evolution of COPD is a deficiency of the α1-protease
(α1-antitrypsin) inhibitor. Reduced circulating and tissue levels can lead to the early onset of severe emphysema, but not chronic bronchitis.
• C.
• What might the pulmonary function tests show in this patient?
• C. Diffuse airway obstruction is demonstrated on pulmonary function testing as a global reduction in expiratory flows and volumes.
FEV1, FVC, and the FEV1/FVC (FEV1%) ratio are all reduced. The expiratory flow–volume curve shows substantial flow limitation.
Some patients may respond to bronchodilators. Lung volume measurement reveals an increase in the RV and FRC, reflecting air
trapped in the lung as a result of diffuse airway obstruction and early airway closure at higher lung volumes. This is characterized
by a flattened diaphragm on chest x-ray. DLCO is typically normal, reflecting a preserved alveolar capillary bed.
• D.
• How do arterial blood gases differ in chronic bronchitis and emphysema?
• D. Ventilation/perfusion mismatching is common in chronic bronchitis. The A–a ΔPO2 is increased, and hypoxemia is common
mainly because of significant areas of low ratios (physiologic shunt); hypoxemia at rest tends to be more profound than in
emphysema. Mismatch is also present in emphysema, but patients with emphysema typically adapt to high ratios by increasing
their minute ventilation. They may maintain nearly normal PO2 and PCO2 levels despite advanced disease. However, with greater
disease severity and further loss of capillary perfusion, the DLCO falls, leading to exercise-related and, ultimately, resting arterial
hemoglobin desaturation. In both conditions, increasing PCO2 (hypercapnia) and respiratory acidosis, with compensatory
metabolic alkalosis, are seen in severe disease.