There are two major types of chronic lung disease: obstructive lung disease and restrictive lung disease. They both share common symptoms, but they are still different on a microscopic level. However, both obstructive and restrictive lung disease will worsen over time.
Obstructive Lung Disease
Those who have obstructive lung disease are not able to fully expel all the air from their lungs, essentially trapping the air inside. The air releases at a slower rate than it would for a healthy person due to inflammation and swelling of the airways. This is also sometimes known as increased residual volume.
Some common types of Obstructive Lung Disease include COPD, Emphysema, Chronic Bronchitis, Asthma, and Bronchiectasis.
Obstructive lung diseases are usually categorized into stages, ranging from mild to severe, referred to as the GOLD System and the BODE Index.
GOLD System
The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease developed what is now known as the GOLD System. This system implements the pulmonary function test’s utilization of the FEV1 test in order to categorize obstructive lung diseases. This test shows how much air a person can forcefully exhale in one second. The results are categorized as follows:
–Stage 1 (Very Mild COPD): FEV1 about 80% or more of normal
–Stage 2 (Moderate COPD): FEV1 between 50% and 80% of normal
–Stage 3 (Severe COPD): Severe emphysema with FEV1 between 30% and 50% of normal
–Stage 4 (Very Severe COPD): A lower FEV1 than Stage 3, or those with Stage 3 FEV1 and low blood oxygen levels.
BODE Index
The B.O.D.E. Index accounts for how COPD affects one’s life.
–Body Mass
-Your body mass index, or BMI, helps to determine if you’re living at a healthy weight or not.
–Obstruction of Airflow
-Your obstruction of airflow shows the amount of obstructed airflow that’s measured by your FEV1.
–Dyspnea
-Dyspnea refers to having a difficulty breathing.
–Exercise Capacity
-Exercise capacity refers to one’s tolerance level for exercise.
Similar to the GOLD System, the BODE Index helps to place COPD patients into stages and help to approximate one’s life expectancy.
Obstructive lung diseases can affect everyone differently. However, obstructive lung diseases, such as COPD and emphysema, are progressive, meaning they will worsen over time. This makes assessing life expectancy challenging, so it’s important to talk with your doctor about any questions or concerns you have.
Symptoms can include, but are not limited to, the following:
-Shortness of Breath
-Chronic Cough
-Wheezing
-Sleep Apnea
-Production of Excess Mucus
-Chest Tightness
-Fatigue
-Frequent Respiratory Infections
Restrictive Lung Disease
People with restrictive lung disease are unable to fully fill and expand their lungs, making it difficult to take deep breaths. Restrictive lung diseases are categorized as either intrinsic and extrinsic.
Intrinsic restrictive lung diseases include:
-Interstitial lung disease
-Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
-Pulmonary Fibrosis
-Sarcoidosis
-Pneumoconiosis
Extrinsic restrictive lung disorders include:
-Obesity
-Pleural Effusion
-Myasthenia gravis
-Scoliosis
-Neuromuscular disease, such as muscular dystrophy or Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS)
Typically, stages can range anywhere from mild, moderate, severe, early and advanced.
Restrictive lung disease standardly is characterized by your reduced total lung capacity, or TLC. A pulmonary function test can determine what your total lung capacity is.
Symptoms can include, but are not limited to, the following:
-Shortness of Breath
-Dry Coughing
-Weakness
-Fatigue
-Weight Loss
-Joint Pain
