A 67-year-old man presents to your office with worsening cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath. He has been a cigarette smoker for the past 50 years, smoking approximately 1 pack a day. He has a chronic AM cough productive of some yellow sputum but generally feels okay during the day. He was in his usual state of health until two weeks ago when he developed a cold. Since then, he has had a hacking cough and increased thick sputum production. He also has had difficulty walking more than a block without stopping due to shortness of breath. Physical examination reveals prolonged expiration, audible wheezing, and diffuse rhonchi throughout both lung fields. Chest x-ray shows hyperinflation of both lungs with a flattened diaphragm.
Discussion Questions
- What are the two major clinical syndromes classified as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? (1 point) How do they differ?
- Of the two syndromes above, which is predominant in this patient?
- What are the epidemiology and predisposing factors for this condition?
- Include two (2) results you would expect to see in pulmonary function tests when performed on this patient?
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