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February 18, 2018

Dear Ms. Bloomfield,

I know you have been pretty concerned lately with your health and now that I am in

nursing school, I wanted to share some information with you that I think could benefit to you. I

have noticed that you have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, this

makes it hard for you to breath. This can be caused by long-term exposure to a substance that can

damage your lungs. A main cause is cigarette smoke and I have noticed that have smoked since

you were 18 years old. Smoke from other types of tobacco can also lead to COPD if it is inhaled.

According to The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (n.d), “Up to 75 percent of people

who have COPD smoke or used to smoke. People who have a family history of COPD are more

likely to develop the disease if they smoke.” Many people who have been smoking for a long

while, start to notice the symptoms with they are around 40 years old or older. A risk factor that

could happen if you develop COPD before the age of 40 could because of a genetic condition

known as alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. But in your case, I do not think this is the cause. Many

symptoms that can be caused are coughing up large amounts of mucous, wheezing, chest

tightness, shortness of breath and many others. COPD can have a big impact on your life because

it can limit you from doing many activities, even the most basic ones such as walking, playing

with kids/grandkids, doing chores around the house and many other things. Over time this can

get worse and eventually lead up to your family or health care providers to have to take care of

you. This disease cannot be spread to others through droplet or airborne, so others do not have to

worry about contracting this disease from you.


Also, it is very important to make sure your environment is safe so that your disease does

not progress and your health decline. Continuing to smoke after being diagnosis would not be a

good idea because it can cause your symptoms to get worse which then would eventually lead up

to death. Second-hand smoke from those that you live with or those that are surrounding you is

also detrimental to your health because you are still inhaling smoke from the air. Even though

you may not be smoking yourself, but your health could decline from this. Something that you

may not be aware of, but it is important to make sure you are is staying away from others who

may be sick. This is because you are more susceptible to getting the cold, flu, or pneumonia due

to this health condition. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (n.d) stated, “Talk with

your doctor about whether and when you should get flu, or influenza, and pneumonia vaccines.

These vaccines can lower your chances of getting these illnesses, which are major health risks

for people who have COPD.” Making sure that you keep yourself away from other that smoke

would be the most beneficial to you in maintaining your health so that your COPD doesn’t

progress and get worse. Sometimes you may not be aware that you are around it, so it is very

essential that you are aware of your surroundings and the people that are near you.

Next, I am going to teach you some health promotion activities that can help you to

control your COPD to cause it from getting worse. Although there is no cure for this disease, but

it is possible to maintain it from getting worse. It is important to make sure that you have a well

nutrition plan to make sure that you are meeting all your nutritional needs. Making sure you have

a balanced diet is very beneficial to your body and helps your organs work properly. But one of

the most important things is too make sure you quit smoking and to avoid any substances that

can irritate your lungs and cause the disease to decline. Your doctor may also prescribe

medications for you to take to help control the symptoms you are experiencing. It is very
important to make sure that these symptoms don’t progress and get worse. Vaccines are also very

important to reduce the chances of developing sickness such as the flu and pneumonia. Oxygen

therapy may be used to help your body receive more oxygen and help you breathe better. This

could help protect your organs from experiencing any damage due to low oxygen levels. It can

also help you sleep more during the night by raising your oxygen levels and preventing you from

waking up in the middle of the night due to lack of oxygen.

There are several ways to prevent COPD and these are avoiding smoking during your life

or quitting very early on. According to American Lung Association (n.d), “Approximately 85 to

90 percent of COPD cases are caused by smoking. Female smokers are nearly 13 times as likely

to die from COPD as women who have never smoked; male smokers are nearly 12 times as

likely to die from COPD as men who have never smoked.” As you can see, smoking has the

highest prevalence in developing COPD later on in life. Avoiding exposure to air pollution and

second-hand smoke can also decrease your chances because your lungs aren’t inhaling the smoke

that can irritate the lungs.

If you are experiencing an acute episode of COPD, oxygen therapy could be very

beneficial so that your body can receive oxygen and can help to keep your organs from shutting

down due to the lack of oxygen. The use of medications such as anticholinergics, inhaled beta 2

agonists, antibiotics and corticosteroids can help with relief by opening up the airway so that you

are able to exhale.

I hope that this letter helped with learning about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

and maintaining it, so it doesn’t progress and get worse. If you have any further questions, you

can always write me back or I included the websites where I received the information from, so

you can give those a look to see if they answer your questions. I would encourage you to learn
from the things I suggested so that you can get better rather than worse, and you can enjoy your

time with family and friends.

Sincerely,

Jordyn Murvihill
References

COPD | Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease | MedlinePlus. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19,

2018, from https://medlineplus.gov/copd.html#cat_93

COPD. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2018, from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-

topics/copd#Screening-and-Prevention

Hunter, M. H., & King, D. E. (2001, August 15). COPD: Management of Acute Exacerbations

and Chronic Stable Disease. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from

https://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0815/p603.html

Preventing COPD. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2018, from http://www.lung.org/lung-health-

and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/symptoms-causes-risk-factors/preventing-

copd.html

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