Professional paper

Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive lung disease

Jelena Ostojić orcid.org/0000-0002-0314-331X ; Specialized Pulmonary Disease Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
Ana-Marija Šola ; Specialized Pulmonary Disease Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
Miloš Lalovac ; Clinical Hospital Merkur, Zagreb, Croatia
Vanja Dolenec ; Specialized Pulmonary Disease Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) are defined as episodes of increased respiratory symptoms, particularly dyspnea, sputum volume and purulence, requiring additional therapy. Acute exacerbations are mostly induced by viral, less often bacterial or mixed infections. Patients with two or more exacerbations treated in the outpatient department (or at least one hospitalisation for acute exacerbation) are considered as frequent exacerbators – the phenotype associated with poorer quality of life and accelerated loss of lung function. More than 80% of acute exacerbations can be treated in the outpatient setting with bronchodilators, short-course of oral corticosteroids and/or antibiotics.

Keywords

COPD; exacerbations; severity assessment

Hrčak ID:

223051

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/223051

Publication date:

18.7.2019.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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