Mr. S. is a retired 69-year-old county attorney who was on a buying trip with hi

Question

Mr. S. is a retired 69-year-old county attorney who was on a buying trip with his wife looking for old, classic cars in the high, mountainous country of Colorado when he became extremely short of breath. His alarmed wife took him to a mul­tispecialty medical clinic for evaluation.
On admission to the clinic, Mr. S. was restless and dyspneic. His chest had an increased anteroposterior dimension. His past history revealed a habit of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day for 45 years. During the past few years, Mr. S. noticed a cough each morning on arising. Recently, while working in his flower garden, he had to stop at times to catch his breath. Even while watching television, he had experienced dyspnea.
A chest radiograph was taken, and pulmonary function tests were done. The chest radiograph revealed a flat, low di­aphragm with lung hyperinflation but clear fields. Pulmonary function tests showed decreased tidal volume and vital ca­pacity, increased total lung capacity, and prolonged forced expiratory volume. Which pulmonary disease is exhibited by Mr. S.’s symptoms? Justify your answer and explain the mechanisms behind the manifestations?

Explanation / Answer

Mr. S could be suffering from COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The airways in the lungs are obstructed or narrowed. As Mr.S has been smoking, the particles from the cigarette have lodged in his lungs. He has to forcefully inhale to get enough oxygen. --------------------------------------------------------------------- As his lungs are not able to get enough oxygen dyspnoea is seen. The muscles of the lungs try to expand and contract more to get more oxygen. This results in increase in size of the lungs. This is seen in the increased anteroposterior dimension. ------------------------------------------------------------------- When the airways are narrow, the rate of airflow into the lungs is low. This leads to lung hyperinflation where before expiration is complete the patient needs to take another breath. This results in an increase in the volume of lungs above normal. This is known as hyperinflation/increased total lung capacity. A flattened diaphragm also results due to the same reason. The other symptoms can be seen in the above explanation

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse M
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.