Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD.

Then you can find written notes on this topic at zero to finals.com slashP-D or in the respiratory section of the second edition of the

Zero to Finals Medicine Book. So let's get straight into it.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or C-O-PD is a long-term, progressive condition involving airway obstruction, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema.

It's almost always the result of smoking and is largely preventable. While it's not reversible, it is treatable.

Damage to the lung tissues obstructs the flow of air through the airways.

Chronic bronchitis refers to long-term symptoms of a cough and sputin production due to inflammation in the bronchae.

Emphysema involves damage and dilatation of the alveola sacs and the alveoli, decreasing the surface

area that's available for gas exchange.

Unlike in asthma, the airway obstruction is minimally or not reversible with bronchodilators, such as salbutamol.

Patients with COPD can have exacerbations during which their lung function worsens.

Exascibations triggered by infection are called infective exacerbations of COPD.

Let's talk about the presentation.

A typical presentation of COPD is a long-term smoker with persistent symptoms of shortness of breath, cough, sputum production, wheeze and recurrent respiratory

infections particularly in winter.

A tom tip for you, COPD does not cause clubbing, hemoptosis or coughing up blood, or chest

pain.

These symptoms should be investigated for a different cause

such as lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis or heart failure.

Let's talk about the MRC-discnea scale.

The MRC or medical research council dyskysnia Scale, is a five-point scale

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