ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SMOKING AND THE WORSEAGE OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE IN THE ELDERLY

Abstract

COPD is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by difficulty breathing and a chronic cough. Studies show that about 80% of COPD cases are caused by smoking. In addition, smoking is a major risk factor for emphysema, a lung disease that causes irreversible damage to the lungs. This is an integrative literature review, with the character of a descriptive study and a qualitative approach, in which searches were conducted in the Virtual Health Library system of the Ministry of Health, using the following descriptors: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Elderly health and Smoking. Initially, 315 results were found without filters, and later the application was reduced to thirty-four studies, and of these, their titles resulting from the databases were read, leaving only twelve articles for the sample in the final qualitative synthesis. Through the searches conducted, it was found that smoking is the main cause of COPD worldwide. Cigarette smoke is made up of more than 4,000 toxic substances, including nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar, and irritating gases. These substances damage lung structures, causing chronic inflammation and decreasing the lungs' ability to breathe properly. Through this literature review, it was possible to verify that COPD is a chronic and progressive respiratory disease that generally develops over the years. As a result, it is more common in people over the age of forty, with 75% of cases diagnosed after the age of sixty.