NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update
Chapter 24: COPD (Pg 618)
1. What characteristic do the chronic lung diseases referred to as COPD
have in common?
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable
and treatable slowly progressive respiratory disease of airflow
obstruction involving the airways, pulmonary parenchyma, or
both.
• COPD may include diseases that cause airflow obstruction (e.g.
emphysema, chronic bronchitis), and
in many cases, smoke or other environmental pollutants irritate the
airways, resulting in inflammation.
2. What differentiates asthma from the other COPDs?
• Asthma is considered a distinct, separate disorder and is classified
as an abnormal airway condition characterized primarily by
reversible inflammation.
• Both asthma and COPD have the same major symptoms; however,
symptoms are generally more
variable in asthma than COPD.
• Asthma:
o Is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the bronchial mucosa
NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update 1
,NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update
that causes hyperresponsivness and constriction of the
airways. Trouble getting air out.
o Asthma is reversible.
• COPD:
o Is a preventable and treatable disease with some significant
extra pulmonary effects that may contribute to the severity
in individual patients.
o Hypertrophy of goblet cell, thick mucus.
o COPD is chronic, not reversible.
3. Are the above disorders most likely to occur individually or
concomitantly?
• Most patients with COPD present with overlapping signs and
symptoms of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which are two
distinct disease processes.
4. What is the incidence of COPD? In which groups is it most commonly
seen?
• COPD and associated respiratory diseases were estimated to affect 24
million adults and was the 3rd
leading cause of death and United States.
• People with COPD commonly become symptomatic during the
NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update 2
,NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update
middle adult years, and the incident of the disease increase with
age.
5. What is (are) the etiology/risk factors of COPD?
• The most important environmental risk factor for COPD
worldwide is cigarette smoking. Other environmental risk
factors include smoking pipes, cigars, and other types of
tobacco.
• Risk factors for COPD include: (Pg 620, Chart 24-1)
o Exposure to bat tobacco smoke accounts for an estimated 80%
to 90% of cases.
o Passive or secondhand smoke.
o Increased age.
o Occupational exposure (e.g. dust, chemicals).
o Indoor and outdoor air pollution.
o Genetic abnormalities, including a deficiency of alpha1-
antitrypsin, an enzyme inhibitor that normally counteracts the
destruction of lung tissue by certain other enzymes.
6. What pathophysiology is involved in emphysema?
• People with COPD commonly become symptomatic during the
middle of don’t years, and the incidence of the disease
NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update 3
, NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update
increases with age.
• In COPD, the airflow limitation is both progressive and associated
with the lungs’ abnormal
inflammatory response to noxious particles or gases.
• The inflammatory response occurs throughout the proximal and
peripheral airways, parenchyma, and pulmonary vasculature.
• Because of the chronic inflammation and the body attempts to repair
it, Changes in narrowing occur
in the airways.
• In the proximal airways, changes include increase number of
goblet cells and enlarged submucosal glands, both of which lead to
hypersecretion of mucus.
• In the peripheral airways, inflammation causes thickening of the
airway wall, prebronchial fibrosis,
exudate and the airway, and overall airway narrowing.
• Overtime, this ongoing injury–and–repair process causes scar tissue
formation and narrowing of the airway lumen.
• Finally, the chronic inflammatory process affects the pulmonary
vasculature and causes thickening of
the lining of the vessel and hypertrophy of smooth muscle, which
may lead to pulmonary hypertension.
NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update 4
solutions 2022 update
Chapter 24: COPD (Pg 618)
1. What characteristic do the chronic lung diseases referred to as COPD
have in common?
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable
and treatable slowly progressive respiratory disease of airflow
obstruction involving the airways, pulmonary parenchyma, or
both.
• COPD may include diseases that cause airflow obstruction (e.g.
emphysema, chronic bronchitis), and
in many cases, smoke or other environmental pollutants irritate the
airways, resulting in inflammation.
2. What differentiates asthma from the other COPDs?
• Asthma is considered a distinct, separate disorder and is classified
as an abnormal airway condition characterized primarily by
reversible inflammation.
• Both asthma and COPD have the same major symptoms; however,
symptoms are generally more
variable in asthma than COPD.
• Asthma:
o Is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the bronchial mucosa
NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update 1
,NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update
that causes hyperresponsivness and constriction of the
airways. Trouble getting air out.
o Asthma is reversible.
• COPD:
o Is a preventable and treatable disease with some significant
extra pulmonary effects that may contribute to the severity
in individual patients.
o Hypertrophy of goblet cell, thick mucus.
o COPD is chronic, not reversible.
3. Are the above disorders most likely to occur individually or
concomitantly?
• Most patients with COPD present with overlapping signs and
symptoms of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which are two
distinct disease processes.
4. What is the incidence of COPD? In which groups is it most commonly
seen?
• COPD and associated respiratory diseases were estimated to affect 24
million adults and was the 3rd
leading cause of death and United States.
• People with COPD commonly become symptomatic during the
NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update 2
,NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update
middle adult years, and the incident of the disease increase with
age.
5. What is (are) the etiology/risk factors of COPD?
• The most important environmental risk factor for COPD
worldwide is cigarette smoking. Other environmental risk
factors include smoking pipes, cigars, and other types of
tobacco.
• Risk factors for COPD include: (Pg 620, Chart 24-1)
o Exposure to bat tobacco smoke accounts for an estimated 80%
to 90% of cases.
o Passive or secondhand smoke.
o Increased age.
o Occupational exposure (e.g. dust, chemicals).
o Indoor and outdoor air pollution.
o Genetic abnormalities, including a deficiency of alpha1-
antitrypsin, an enzyme inhibitor that normally counteracts the
destruction of lung tissue by certain other enzymes.
6. What pathophysiology is involved in emphysema?
• People with COPD commonly become symptomatic during the
middle of don’t years, and the incidence of the disease
NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update 3
, NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update
increases with age.
• In COPD, the airflow limitation is both progressive and associated
with the lungs’ abnormal
inflammatory response to noxious particles or gases.
• The inflammatory response occurs throughout the proximal and
peripheral airways, parenchyma, and pulmonary vasculature.
• Because of the chronic inflammation and the body attempts to repair
it, Changes in narrowing occur
in the airways.
• In the proximal airways, changes include increase number of
goblet cells and enlarged submucosal glands, both of which lead to
hypersecretion of mucus.
• In the peripheral airways, inflammation causes thickening of the
airway wall, prebronchial fibrosis,
exudate and the airway, and overall airway narrowing.
• Overtime, this ongoing injury–and–repair process causes scar tissue
formation and narrowing of the airway lumen.
• Finally, the chronic inflammatory process affects the pulmonary
vasculature and causes thickening of
the lining of the vessel and hypertrophy of smooth muscle, which
may lead to pulmonary hypertension.
NURSING 325 Adult Health questions with complete
solutions 2022 update 4
