physiological disorders P1, P2, P3, M1 , 2 named, signs and symptoms explain, investigations described and difficulties of diagnosing assessed!!

Hey everyone. I know its summer but I am going to start posting a few more written pieces and i hope you enjoy!! Individuals can be affected by a number of different physiological disorders. The two disorders in which I will talk about are Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) and also Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA) or stroke. COPD is the umbrella term for a number of lung diseases which include emphysema, chronic bronchitis and also chronic obstructive airways disease. One of the most common causes of COPD is smoking. The more an individual smokes and the longer they smoke increases the chances of developing COPD. This is due to the fact that it both irritates and inflames the lungs, resulting in scarring. This inflammation causes the lung to undergo changes over a period of time (NHS, 2016). Some of the changes include an increase in the production of mucus, thickening of the walls of the airways, damage to the air sac walls which leads to emphysema. The lungs will also lose their elasticity (NHS, 2016). When inhaling, oxygen goes into the bronchus. The bronchus then branches of into a large number of bronchioles having alveoli at the ends (Healthline, 2016). These alveoli stretch, filling with air and when you exhale, they shrink again. There are capillaries present within the walls of the alveoli. When inhaling the oxygen passes into these capillaries and is carried throughout the blood stream. As well as this, carbon dioxide will pass out of the capillaries when exhaling (Healthline, 2016). Healthline, 2016 Healthline, 2016 Individuals who have COPD may find it more difficult to breath. This is due to there being a reduction in the air flow in and out of the lungs (ALA, 2016). This occurs when there is inflammation within the airways and they have thickened. Both the alveoli and also the airways will lose elasticity meaning that it makes it difficult for the air sacs to return to the correct shape (ALA, 2016). This in turn makes it difficult to carry out the gas exchange process. Usually the alveoli are stretchy allowing them to fill with oxygen in which we breathe. The alveoli are then able to deflate releasing carbon dioxide back out into the atmosphere. Due to the reduction of air flow into and out of the lungs, it means that they body and its tissues will be receiving less oxygen and will be proven difficult to excrete carbon dioxide (ALA, 2016). This will then result in the individual having shortness of breath. The alveoli in individuals with COPD will become larger, however, less in numbers (Peter Crosta, 2013). This is due to their walls being damaged which leads to a reduction in surface area. In normal lungs there is a large surface area, including a larger number of alveoli, to increase the efficiency of which the process of gas exchange can occur (Peter Crosta, 2013). There will be an excess amount of mucus produced, narrowing the airways, which will obstruct them, causing a cough to develop and leading to the individual producing phlegm (ALA, 2016). The cough can often be one of the first symptoms that develop and can become persistent overtime. This differs to the normal airways as the mucus doesn’t clog them up and so the airways will remain the original size. The individual may experience chest pains also. In the image to the right we are able to see that there has been a change in colour from the normal lung and the one which has COPD. Hethertonillustration, 2016. The symptoms that are displayed when an individual has COPD may be similar to other medical conditions. Asthma is one example of a disease which affects an individual’s airways and their ability to carry out the gaseous process (Peter Crosta, 2013). The walls of the airways are sensitive and inflamed causing the airways to become narrow meaning that less air is able to travel through them. When an individual’s airways become irritated they may react in three ways. The airways can narrow due the muscles which surround the walls of the airways tighten (Asthma UK, 2015). Phlegm can aid to the narrowing of the airways as it may build up. The lining of the airways may start to swell due to inflammation (Asthma UK, 2015). Due to the reactions it can make it difficult for the individual to breathe, causing them to be breathlessness and will also cause coughing. Another illness that has similar symptoms to COPD is lung cancer. Within the early stages of lung cancer there may be no symptoms present, however, these may develop gradually. The symptoms include those such as a mucus cough. This occurs due to the throat being irritated, therefore by coughing it tries to expel this irritant (Healthline, 2016). The individual may cause a shortness of breath. This could be caused by a build-up of fluid known as pleural effusion in the lungs (Healthline, 2016). Chest pain is another symptom with may develop in lung cancer. Chest infections are very common and have similar symptoms to those of COPD. A chest infection occurs when either the lungs or airways become infected (NHS, 2014). The symptoms of a chest infection include a thick mucus cough, breathlessness and also a feeling that the chest is tight causing chest pains (NHS, 2014). Furthermore, tuberculosis (TB) is another illness with similar symptoms to COPD. It is a bacterial infection which is transmitted through breathing in droplets that have come from the infected individual if they cough or sneeze. The bacterium in which TB is caused is known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (NHS, 2014). Usually TB affects the lungs, however it can affect different areas of the body such as the bones, the glands and the nervous system. The symptoms in which are similar to that of COPD is the cough and quite often bringing up phlegm (NHS, 2014) There are different tests which can be carried out to differentiate between COPD and the other illnesses. Firstly a spirometry test will be carried out (NHS, 2014). The individual will have to breathe into a spirometer which then measures the volume of oxygen exhaled in one second. There will be a comparison of results to that of normal measurements. If there is an obstruction they will also recognise this (NHS, 2014). Blood tests and also x-rays can be carried out in order to rule out both lung cancer and also anaemia. A computerised tomography (CT) scan or CAT scan can be carried out. CT scans are able to produced detailed images of different structures contained within the body (NHS, 2014). This scan therefore will be able to show how the lungs have been affected by COPD and also the severity of this (NHS, 2014) A stroke is the result of when the blood supply within the brain is interrupted (NHS, 2014). It may also be caused due to a blood clot within the artery that carries the blood to the brain, meaning that oxygen is unable to reach the cells in this area. Due to this, it can result in the brain cells to be damaged (NICHS, 2016). Ischaemic and haemorrhagic are the two main causes of stroke. Ischaemic stroke is when the blood supply is stopped by a clot and haemorrhagic stroke is when there is a weakened blood vessel which bursts. A stroke can result in a number of changes such as the fine and gross motor skills of the individual can be affected, it may result in the individual being paralysed on one side further leading to impaired vision and memory loss (SA, 2012). The symptoms of a stroke can be remembered with the acronym F.A.S.T. This stands for face, arms, speech and time. The individuals face may dropped on one side including their mouth and eye (NHS, 2014). They may not be able to life their arms in the air and keep them there due to a weakness or a numb sensation in one arm. The speech can become slurred and they may not be able to talk (NHS, 2014). If this occurs then it is time to phone for an ambulance straight away. When a stroke is experience, the individual may develop a serve headache There are a number of illness or conditions that may have similar symptoms as a stroke. One of these is diabetes. This is a condition causing an individual’s blood sugar levels to increase (NHS, 2014). There are two types of diabetes including type 1 and type 2. There are a various amount of symptoms regarding diabetes. The individual may develop blurred or impaired vision and headaches just like that of a stroke (NHS, 2014). Furthermore, head injuries may pose similar symptoms to that of a stroke. If an individual has a head injury they must seek medical advice straight away due to the high risk of brain damage. When an individual experiences a head injury it may cause symptoms such as burred or impaired vision, serve headaches and also a numbness or tingling feeling throughout their body (NHS, 2014). Brain tumours is when the cells contained within the brain multiply in an uncontrollable manner. They can either be malignant or benign. The symptoms of brain tumours can be similar to that of strokes. These symptoms include those such as a numb sensation, blurred or impaired vision and also headaches (NHS, 2015). Dementia is another illness or condition which may have similar symptoms to that of a stroke. Dementia occurs when there has been damage to the brain (AS, 2016). The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s. The symptoms of an individual with dementia include disorientation, difficulty speaking and memory loss. These symptoms can be confused with a stroke. When the individual has been sent to hospital, they will do blood tests determining cholesterol and blood sugar levels (NHS, 2014). They will also take the individuals blood pressure and check the pulse in case of an irregular heartbeat. Further testing will then be done including CT Scans and also MRI’s. A CT scan will allow for a detailed, 3D image to be seen (NHS, 2014). This makes it easier to identify problems with any of the areas in the brain. A dye may have to be injected into the veins of the individual, allowing them to identify whether it was an ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke (NHS, 2014). The MRI scan also provides a detailed image of the brain tissue using magnetic fields and radio waves. In conclusion, there are many illnesses and conditions which can be found to be similar and so to determine which illness it is, tests should always be carried out. I hope you enjoyed this written piece and look out for the next one coming!! Your study pal! Xo