Diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

How Is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Diagnosed As An Occupational Illness?

When you visit your doctor with potential symptoms of COPD the first thing he or she will do is ask you a series of questions. They will ask you about your symptoms; when they started, how they make you feel etc, and will also discuss your family history to find out if other members of your family suffer or have suffered from similar symptoms or effects. They are likely to ask you if you smoke, and if so will suggest ways that you can get support in giving up.

Tests

Your doctor will probably test your breathing by placing a stethoscope against your chest and listening for any signs of damage; such as wheezing or difficulty in exhaling. They may also calculate your body mass index by measuring your height and weight.

Another test they may carry out uses a machine called a spirometer. In this test you will be given a drug called a bronchodilator which helps to widen the airways, you will then be asked to breathe into a machine which will measure how much air you breathe out in one second, as well as measuring the total amount of air that you can exhale. These readings can be compared with normal results for your age to display how much your airways are obstructed.

A chest X-ray might be used to look for problems such as signs of an infection or even lung cancer.

Blood tests can help to discern if you have an Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency that might make you more susceptible to COPD, but also to identify other issues such as anaemia or polycythaemia – both of which can present symptoms that can appear similar to those of COPD.

In some case further tests will be needed to confirm the diagnosis or to help determine the severity of the condition. These might include:

• Computerised Tomography (CT) scan – see any issues within the lung
• Electrocardiogram – to measure the electrical activity of the heart
• Echocardiogram – an ultrasound scan of the heart
• Blood oxygen test – to measure the oxygen levels in the blood
• Peak Flow Test – to measure your ability to breathe out
• Phlegm sample – to look for signs of infection

In order to diagnose Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease as an industrial illness; namely a disease that has been caused as a result of workplace activities, your doctor will rely on the results of the tests mentioned above, but will also take into account your work history, whether or not you smoke or have smoked, and whether your family has a history of lung disease. While smoking and genetic disorders do not guarantee that the condition was not brought on or exacerbated by work, they can make a clear diagnosis of a work-related illness more difficult.

If it can be proved that your condition was brought on or exacerbated as a result of exposure to dust, fumes or particles within your workplace, and that your employer failed to take reasonable steps to protect your health, and that of the workforce in general, the it is likely that it will be diagnosed as a workplace illness for which you can claim compensation.

Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your COPD claim – either by calling us free on 0800 122 3130, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choosing to discuss your situation. When you contact us you are under no obligation to continue with the case unless you wish to do so.

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