Question
A patient with a history of smoking presents to the emergency with a complaint of breathlessness for the last two days. On examination, he was found to be cyanosed and had bilateral rhonchi. ABG was done, which shows: pH: 7.12 PaCO2: 80 mmHg PaO2: 46 mmHg HCO3-: 29 mEq/L Based on the history, clinical examination and ABG finding, the most likely diagnosis is:
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CMS 2026 Surgery, Gynaecology & Obstetrics, and PSM Question Paper (02-Aug-2026)
The correct answer is
COPD exacerbation
The ABG shows an acute-on-chronic respiratory acidosis (very low pH with markedly elevated PaCO2 and compensatory elevated HCO3-) with hypoxemia, consistent with acute exacerbation of COPD in a smoker with bilateral rhonchi and cyanosis, reflecting CO2 retention from severe airway obstruction.
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Important Questions from COPD
- The distance walked in 6 minutes is an indirect measure of which of the following variables of the 'BODE Index' which is used to assess the prognosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?
- The most common cause of chronic type II respiratory failure is:
- Which of the following are categorised under obstructive lung disease ?
1. Bronchial asthma
2. Bronchiectasis
3. Bronchiolitis
4. Pulmonary sarcoidosis
Select the correct answer using the code given below: - Risk factors for development of COPD include which of the following ?
1. Tobacco smoking
2. Recurrent infection
3. Coal dust exposure
4. High socio-economic status
Select the correct answer using the code given below: - A 65-year-old male smoker has been diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). On pulmonary function testing, the $FEV_1/FVC < 0.7$ and $FEV_1 = 42\%$ of predicted. The severity of airflow obstruction in this patient as per GOLD criteria is :
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