Chronic airway obstruction refers to a pulmonary condition which is characterized by obstruction of the upper and lower air passages into the lung. This condition comprises of two medical conditions namely chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Chronic Airway Obstruction Symptoms
The most characteristic signs and symptoms associated with chronic airway obstruction includes,
- Barrel shaped chest with a large supraclavicular fossa
- Pursed lip breathing
- Using chest muscles for breathing or inspiration ( normally in adults, abdominal breathing is observed, however in patients with chronic obstructive airway disease, chest breathing is observed)
- Prolonged expiratory rate with normal breathing pattern, at rest
Causes Of Obstructive Lung Disease Or COPD
Some of the leading causes of chronic airway obstruction include
- Smoking: Smoking contributes to 90% of all cases of chronic airway obstruction in the United States.Second hand smoking or passive smoking is also considered to be equally harmful.
- Air pollution: Another essential cause is air pollution. Following industrialization and increase in air pollution across all nations, incidence of chronic obstructive airway disease is also on the rise
- Occupational pollutants tend to affect specific populations involved in specific activities namely coal miners, metal workers, construction workers, cotton workers, etc.these individuals are exposed to harmful pollutants in high dosage which tends to enhance the occurrence of obstructive pulmonary disorder.
- Alpha-1-anti-trypsin deficiency is another known cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. It is a rare genetic disorder.