Exacerbation

In medicine , exacerbation ( Latin exacerbatio ; from [ex-] acbare , “to apply ”, “to spur”) or recurrence (or aggravation ) is understood to mean the significant worsening of the clinical picture in chronic diseases. An "acute exacerbation" is accordingly a sudden deterioration.

Example:

• The acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( AECOPD ) is an exacerbation of symptoms that exceed the normal daily fluctuation, lasts longer than 24 hours and requires intensified treatment. Cardinal symptoms of such a deterioration are increasing dyspnoea and purulence of the sputum as well as an additionally increased sputum volume. (In colloquial terms: shortness of breath, more mucus when coughing, which in type II AECOPD can become increasingly yellow from the pus.)
• In addition to being assigned to types I and II, AECOPD can be divided into three degrees of severity: mild AECOPD, moderate AECOPD (indications for inpatient admission) and severe AECOPD (criteria for intensive therapy.)

• A severe exacerbation of a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the simultaneous occurrence of all three main symptoms (AHA: sputum, cough, shortness of breath) with a clear impairment of the general condition.

In contrast to this, remission is a (temporary) improvement in symptoms of the disease.

A relapse is a deterioration that leaves permanent damage.

literature

• Marianne Abele-Horn: Antimicrobial Therapy. Decision support for the treatment and prophylaxis of infectious diseases. With the collaboration of Werner Heinz, Hartwig Klinker, Johann Schurz and August Stich, 2nd, revised and expanded edition. Peter Wiehl, Marburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-927219-14-4 , pp. 77-81: Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive bronchitis (AECOPD) .

Web links

Wiktionary: Exacerbation  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Remarks

1. ↑ Pschyrembel clinical dictionary 261st edition, 2007; Walter de Gruyter.
2. ↑ Severe shortness of breath, poor general condition, rapid increase in symptoms, clouding of consciousness, increase in edema and / or cynosis, newly occurring cardiac arrhythmias, serious concomitant diseases.
3. ↑ Severe dyspnea with no response to emergency therapy, coma, hypoxemia, hypercapnia, acidosis, circulatory insufficiency.
4. ↑ Markus Stein: The respiratory emergency (DFP literature) - an overview of the key symptoms. ( Memento of the original from July 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Medizin Medien Austria, accessed on December 29, 2010.