COPD stands
for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease. This is a term used for a
number of conditions; including chronic
bronchitis and emphysema. COPD leads to
damaged airways in the lungs, causing
them to become narrower and making it
harder for air to get in and out of the
lungs. The word ‘chronic’ means that the
problem is long-term. Due to its
industrial past and a higher proportion
of smokers, Sheffield has a large number
of residents with COPD. As many as 1 in
5 Sheffield people may have the
condition – this equates to around
10,500 people – and a large proportion
of these individuals will not know that
they are affected.
There are 2 Respiratory clinics
dedicated to COPD weekly in the city,
one at NGH and one at RHH. There are
nurse led COPD clinics on both sides of
town, particularly to assess the need
for home oxygen therapy. We are also
fortunate to have a nurse-led early
supported discharge scheme so that
patients can be sent home earlier after
emergency admission and can be monitored
regularly at home by a team of
specialist COPD nurses. Dr Lawson has
recently started running a community
based COPD outreach clinic in Primary
Care. There is active research in COPD
and a large study of home versus
hospital based pulmonary rehabilitation
has recently been completed..
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For more
information about COPD services in Sheffield
click
here
For
information on services available to help to
stop smoking, click below
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