Symptoms in Respiratory Diseases

Question 1

What are roughly 4 things chest pain can be caused by?

Answer 1

Cardiac, respiratory, gastro and muscular problems. Slide 19

Question 2

What does chest pain due to the heart involve?

Answer 2

Central, crushing pain
Often radiates up neck and arm.
Exertion makes it worse.
Mainly tight feeling. Slide 16

Question 3

What does chest pain due to respiratory problems involve?

Answer 3

If it is pleuritic then it would be a sharp pain and worse on inspiration.
If it was the lungs then there would be cough as lungs have no pain receptors.
It can also be from the GI through trapped wind, reflux, spasms of the oesophagus. Slide 18

Question 4

What can cause acute breathlessness ?

Answer 4

Pulmonary embolism, pneumothorax and a pulmonary oedema. Slide 26

Question 5

What can cause subacute breathlessness?

Answer 5

Pneumonia, pulmonary oedema, pleural effusion and asthma/COPD. Slide 27

Question 6

What can cause chronic breathlessness?

Answer 6

COPD, pulmonary fibrosis and a number of small PE. Slide 28

Question 7

What are chronic dry coughs?

Answer 7

When there is an increase in stimulus such as smoking, GORD and allergens. This means that the cough reflex is heightened. Slide 32

Question 8

What does a productive cough produce?

Answer 8

Sputum which contains neutrophils, eosinophils and pathogens. Slide 33

Question 9

What is haemoptysis?

Answer 9

Coughing up blood and is determiend by massive (>500ml in 24hrs) and non massive (<500ml). Slide 36

Question 10

What are the big 4 causes of haemoptysis?

Answer 10

Infection, carcinoma, pulmonary embolism and bronchiectasis. Slide 37