Final answer:
Patients with COPD mainly have trouble breathing due to obstructed airflow and damage to their lungs' alveoli. Smoking is the primary cause and treatments include oxygen therapy and bronchodilators to manage symptoms.
Step-by-step explanation:
Residents with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) primarily struggle with issues related to breathing. COPD is a progressive lung disease that leads to obstructed airflow from the lungs. Symptoms such as shortness of breath, a chronic cough with phlegm, and difficulty with physical activities like climbing stairs are characteristic of this condition. The disease process involves significant physiological changes, including the breakdown of alveolar walls, which reduces the surface area for gas exchange necessary for breathing.
Approximately half of life-long smokers develop COPD over time, as tobacco smoking significantly contributes to the disease by damaging lung connective tissues and decreasing alveolar elasticity. This results in the inability to fully exhale air from the lungs, leading to air trapping and reduced gas exchange. In severe cases of COPD, oxygen therapy and bronchodilators are used to manage symptoms, and lung transplantation might be considered, although there is no complete cure for COPD.