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When Hypertension and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Occur Simultaneously

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Case Study
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Case Study
For the medical professionals, it is common that they will have a chance to treat a patient who is suffering from more than one disease or condition. In some cases, it is a disease and a condition. This is quite common and there is need for the medical professionals to come up with the best treatment plan that will ensure that, none of the patent's needs are left unattended. It is also crucial that the interventions employed do not worsen the patient's conditions, health status and wellbeing. This paper addressed a case were hypertension and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) occur simultaneously. The patient in reference is a male aged 81 years, who was admitted to hospital on 20th August, 2016. This patient has attained college education.
Hypertension is a condition that is also referred to as High Blood Pressure. This is a common condition which is associated with the long-term force of the blood on the arterial walls causing health problems such as heart diseases (Beckerman, 2016). It can thus be considered to be a sustained elevation of the blood pressure, when considered under several different readings (Beckerman, 2016). If the systolic blood pressure of the patient is determined to be equal or above 140mmHg or in some of the cases, the diastolic blood pressure for the patient is determined to be equal to or more than 90mmHg, in such a case the patient can be said to have high blood pressure (Beckerman, 2016). Ideally, this is determined relative to the amount of blood the heart pumps and the amount of resistance in the arterial flow (Beckerman, 2016). If there is more blood being pumped relative to the small lumen of the arteries, this is may cause hypertension to occur in the long-term.
The etiology of hypertension can be classified into two, primary and secondary. Primary/essential hypertension, is a condition that develops over time as one ages and usually it is gradual (Beckerman, 2016). Secondary hypertension is always caused by an underlying condition. This type occurs suddenly and results in higher blood pressure than in primary hypertension. Some of the underlying conditions include adrenal gland tumors, kidney problems, drug abuse, thyroid problems, alcohol abuse and obstructive sleep apnea among others (Beckerman, 2016).
Some of the risk factors associated with the condition include, old age, race, family history, overweight, physical inactivity, using tobacco, too much salt, too little potassium, alcohol abuse, stress and some chronic conditions such as diabetes (Beckerman, 2016). Hypertension progresses from occasional to established state, from a long and asymptomatic period to persistent hypertension with symptoms. If it is not controlled, it could lead to complications such as heart attacks, stroke, and heart failure, weakened and narrowed arteries in the kidney, troubled memory or understanding, torn blood vessels in the eyes, metabolic syndrome and Aneurysm.
COPD is a disease with significant pulmonary impairment contributing to severity in individual’s ability to breath. The disease is preventable and treatable however it is not fully reversible. Its pulmonary component is generally characterized by a limitation in airflow within the airways. Limitation in the airflow and abnormal inflammatory response within the lungs due to noxious particles or gases worsen with time."(Huether&McCance, 2012, p.691).This means that the disease deteriorates over time if it is not treated. Although the disease is preventable and treatable, it is still rated as one of the killer diseases. According to the American Lung Association, this is the third most deadly disease in America (American Lung Association, 2016).
The etiology of COPD is associated with long-term exposure to lung irritants that damage the airways. Some of the most common irritants include cigarette smoke, smoking pipes, cigars along with other tobacco products. Second hand smoke is also a common cause along with, genetic conditions, low level of the AAT protein as well as asthma ("Medical Treatment for COPD," 2016). Some of the common risk factors associated with COPD are, exposure to tobacco smoke, asthma patients that smoke, genetics, old age, exposure to burning fuel along with dust and chemicals(American Lung Association, 2016).
The progress can be divided into three main stages; I, II and III. At stage one; the disease starts off with a cough, some sputum production and shortness of breath (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, 2016). At stage two, the disease is diagnosed from the symptoms that are now need intervention and treatments. This is followed by progressive reduction in the elasticity of the airways along with decreased air entry (American Lung Association, 2016). The airways have inflammations and mucus accumulates over time. Eventually at stage three, the patients experiences severe difficulties breathing (Stewart, 2016). Some of the most common complications associated with COPD include, heart problems, lung cancer, respiratory infections, depression and high blood pressure within the lung arteries (Stewart, 2016).
There are quite a number of manifestations associated with hypertension and they can mean a lot of difference between a healthy person and a person at risk (Beckerman, 2016). Some of the most common clinical manifestations of the disease include severe headaches, vision problems, chest pains, blood in the urine, difficulty breathing, pounding in the ears, neck and chest along with fatigue and some incidences of confusion (Beckerman, 2016). In the case of the COPD, some of the most common clinical manifestations include persistent cough, coughing with mucus, shortness of breath and tightness in their chest (American Lung Association, 2016).
There is a close connection that exists between COPD and hypertension. A patient suffering from hypertension as aforementioned will have unmatched lumen of the arteries to handle the amount of blood that flows into the arteries. On the other hand COPD tends to have significant impact on the body, including weight loss, shortness of breath, eating problems, sleeping and general lack of energy (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, 2016). This forces the heart to work overtime. With the damaged lungs, the amount of oxygen that is in the blood is significantly reduced. This leads to increased pressure in the blood vessels caring blood from the heart to the lungs (pulmonary hypertension) (Lung Institute, 2016). Pulmonary hypertension complicates the treatment of primary hypertension for this patient and further makes his hypertension hard to be manageable. It is also common for the lung disease to cause the body to try and produce more red blood cells in response to the oxygen deficit in the body (Lung Institute, 2016). This further increases the thickness of the blood and even harder for the overworked heart to pump. When the heart fails to pump effectively, the blood backs up into pulmonary system and central venous pressure elevates which cause a high sustained diastolic pressure. This means that, if a patient is suffering COPD severely they are very likely to also suffer from hypertension. Also, the disease affects the amount of oxygen in the blood, this will cause reactions such as higher blood pressure as the heart tries to make up for the reduced oxygen in the body (Orr, Smith, & Cuttica, 2012). Secondly, there is also the aspect of higher red blood cells production to try and make up for the deficit when results in thicker blood. The heart has to beat with much greater pressure to create enough force to push the heavier blood (Lung Institute, 2016).
If the patient’s hypertension is left unattended, he is likely to suffer from complications such as stroke and heart attack. One of the main aspects that the patient and medical team has to content with is that hypertension cannot be cured. However, it can be controlled to minimize the risk of complications. One of the main interventions that can be applied is training the patient on some of the lifestyle changes that they will have to make to control the pressure. If the patient is a smoker, the medical team will work on treatment plan that also includes assisting the patient to quit smoking. Healthy diet and exercise are also part of the treatment that the medical team can use to intervene. The patient will also be advised limit the amount of alcohol intake, lose weight if overweight, and appropriate diet for hypertension (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, 2016). The other option includes using medication to control the thickness of the blood and further enhance the blood flow. The doctor may give the patient a certain pressure goal such as maintaining below 140/90 based on the health and age of the patient. COPD is a chronic disease without cured. However, the symptoms can be manageable and there are ways to slow disease progression and lung damage. The first approach for the medical team will be geared towards helping the patient to alleviate the symptoms of the disease ("Medical Treatment for COPD," 2016). This will also include interventions associated with reducing the risk factors that have triggered the disease in the first place ("What interventions are used to treat COPD?" 2016). Habits such as smoking and working in a dusty environment would have to be avoided if possible. The goal for the medical team is largely associated with preventing any further deterioration of the lungs and maintaining the functions of the lungs while maintaining high quality of life. The other phase of intervention is related to offering the patient the right medication to handle the different symptoms that they will experience ("What interventions are used to treat COPD?", 2016).
Within the treatment plan for the two, the doctor has a number of medications that they may prescribe to manage the disease. In most of the cases this depends on the stages of the two conditions and the severity of the symptoms experienced by the patient and other factors (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, 2016). In the case of COPD, the doctors look at how best they can control the symptoms, to reduce the severity and frequency of exacerbations and improve the quality of life. In most of the cases the doctors will use bronchodilators along with anti-inflammatory agents to bring the disease under control. Some of the most common bronchodilators include anticholinergic, beta2 agonists along with theophylline; while anti-inflammatory include corticosteroids ("Medical Treatment for COPD," 2016). These are mostly effective when they are inhaled. There are a number of delivery systems that the doctor may propose such as, nebulizers, dry powder inhalers, metered dose inhalers and breathe actuated inhalers. The doctor can prescribed, alpha blockers, renin inhibitors, diuretics, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin II receptor blockers, alpha agonists and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE) to help control the patient’s blood pressure (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2016).
In the case of hypertension the patient can use a number of coping mechanisms which include, having the knowledge of the medications to be used for hypertension, specifically, along with the side effects medication side effects. This way they are able to pinpoint the cause of the various sensations. The patient can also use their diet to control the level of their blood pressure. In an example avoiding salty foods is a crucial move that reduces the blood pressure relative to the amount of sodium in the...
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