Medicus, Vol. 30 No. 2 Astma i KOPB, 2021.
Review article
Complete Care for a Patient with Asthma or COPD – from Education and Treatment Plan to Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Veljko Flego
Abstract
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are chronic inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system, both characterized by airway obstruction, but which differ in many aspects, so the modern approach to these diseases includes several different endotypes and phenotypes of the disease. Education plays an important role in the care of these patients because it provides the patient with knowledge about the disease, which helps him to act properly in exacerbations as well as in the silent stages of the disease. The treatment plan for patients with asthma and COPD varies by disease stage. Treatment includes drug and non-drug treatments (respiratory rehabilitation, dietary changes, oxygen therapy). In the terminal phase of COPD, permanent oxygen treatment is administered at home, which significantly facilitates patient’s difficulties. In respiratory rehabilitation, which is conducted multidisciplinary, the most important thing is to relieve symptoms, improve lung function, and prevent the deterioration of lung function and disease progression through adapted physical exercise. Breathing exercises are essential in the pulmonary rehabilitation of patients with asthma, and it is important that they are performed regularly and properly. In COPD, postural drainage and expectoration are performed in addition to breathing exercises, in order to mobilize secretions from the lower parts of the lungs towards the upper parts of the lungs. Every patient suffering from asthma or COPD requires complete care, from diagnosis to the terminal stage of the disease. It initially includes education, and then monitoring the patient in the implementation of the treatment plan, which consists of drug treatment, but also, not less important, respiratory rehabilitation. In recent years, respiratory rehabilitation has been in full swing due to the favorable results achieved by its expertly guided methods.
Keywords
asthma; COPD; patient education; drug treatment; respiratory rehabilitation
Hrčak ID:
264161
URI
Publication date:
18.10.2021.
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