Asthma is a long term disease that inflames and narrows the airways in the lungs. When a person has asthma, cells and tissues in the airways become susceptible to inflammation when they come in contact with different substances. These substances can be harmless but with asthma, these substances can become very dangerous. This inflammation in the airways then leads to airway narrowing. The body’s response to ease the inflammation is the release of histamine and leukotrienes. When histamine and leukotirens are released, the muscles in the airways contract which makes the airways to become narrow. The nerves in the airway also become more sensitive which leads to harsh coughing and wheezing. There are many triggers of asthma which …show more content…
Smoking not only triggers asthma but destroys the overall health of the lungs. During exercise, people tend to lose their breath from exhaustion. When over exhausted people are prone to asthma attacks. If a person has a respiratory infection at a young age which includes harsh wheezing, then the person is at risk of having asthma later on. As a woodworker, a person is exposed to dust which can harm the airways of the lungs. Asthma can also be genetically contracted through a parent. If asthma is common in a family, future offspring of that family are at a high risk of having asthma. Some of the signs and symptoms of asthma are, coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Coughing is frequent throughout the day. At night and during the morning, coughing is at its worst state. There is a chance that mucus will be coughed up. When a person is wheezing, there is a whistling sound as they breathe. Chest tightness is when it feels like someone is sitting on your chest. It seems like there is a buildup of pressure in the chest area. This can also be the first sign of an asthma attack. Shortness of breath is when a person has a hard time breathing. The person cannot catch their breathe . These signs and symptoms can be enhanced by cold weather and exercise. Both of these factors can make breathing harder to do. The signs and symptoms can be associated with many different diseases. To narrow down if a person has asthma, a doctor will diagnose
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airway that impacts a person’s and their family’s quality of life. In people with asthma, their airway becomes constricted with swelling and excessive mucous. This constriction or narrowing of the airway makes it difficult for the person with asthma to breath (Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2009). If asthma is left uncontrolled, it leads to further wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, tiredness, and stress. (Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2009).
Asthma is a long-term lung disease. Those with asthma have sensitive airways in their lungs which triggers a flare up. When this flare up happens the muscle around the airways squeeze tight and the airways swell, become narrows and produce more mucus. (Anon., 2016) All these things make it harder for a person to breathe. Asthma effects the human body’s respiratory system. Asthma causes a spasm and constriction of the bronchial passages and the swelling and the inflammation of the mucous lining. The body responds by defence cells from the immune system, which causes the airways to swell and the muscles surrounding the airways to contract. Which is what cuts off the airflow. While a person is in asthma attack, the asthmatic cannot breathe which
Asthma is a very common circumstance where the airways happen to irritated and inflamed, this causes the airway to become more narrower than normal and
"Asthma is a pulmonary disease with the following characteristics: 1) airway obstruction that is reversible in most patients either spontaneously or with treatment; 2) airway inflammation; and 3) increased airway responsiveness to a variety of stimuli" (Enright, 1996, p. 375). There presently exist many varieties of asthma that differ in the severity, means of induction, and methods of treatment. One type is exercise-induced asthma. "Exercise-induced asthma (EIA) is a temporary increase in airway resistance and acute narrowing of the airway that occurs after several minutes of strenuous exercise, usually after the exercise had ceased" (Spector, 1993, p. 571). Perfectly healthy individuals with no
Many things, called triggers, such as pollen, dust, mold, tobacco smoke etc... can start symptoms. Asthma symptoms can make it hard for some people with asthma to do everyday things like going to work or school. Some symptoms of asthma would be chest tightness or pain, coughing or wheezing, and trouble sleeping from coughing or wheezing. An asthma attack or episode is a time of increased asthma symptoms. The symptoms can be mild or severe. During an asthma attack, the lining of the airways in the lungs swells, and the muscles around the airways tighten which make the airways narrower. All of these changes in the lungs block the flow of air, making it hard to breathe. However, there are warning signs of asthma attacks such as fast heartbeat, fast breathing, blue lips or fingernails, and if quick-relief medication does not work. Staying away from triggers and working with a doctor to take the right medications at the right times can help an individual keep their asthma under control. I decided to choose asthma out of the curiosity of how many individuals are affected by this chronic disease in Michigan and if it could be correlated to the pollution or
Asthma is a chronic condition affecting the respiratory system and has a considerable impact on both individuals and a population. Everybody is susceptible to asthma, some more than others, depending of a variety of factors including, age, sex, geographical location and income. Asthma is particularly prevalent in younger children and the elderly and while it can be fatal, most people have mild cases of asthma that are relatively easy to treat. The condition mainly impacts an individual’s physical ability to contribute to a community.
Rationale: L.J. exhibits asthmatic symptoms that include shortness of breath and coughing. Moreover, daily activities trigger the shortness of breath, which could be associated with exercise-triggered asthmatic
The best way to diagnose asthma is to see a doctor to review any medical and family history and discuss the type and frequency of symptoms. It is also recommended to have a physical exam and participate in a lung function tests, also known as the pulmonary function tests. Some of the tests
The bronchi and bronchiole tubes are loosely wrapped with muscle. During regular breathing, the muscles around these airways are relaxed (5). This allows air to flow freely through these passageways to the alveoli. However, during an asthma attack, air has trouble reaching the alveoli, which prevents the body from receiving oxygen. This is because the airways become smaller. Firstly, the muscles around the airways spasm and contract. This then causes inflammation of the bronchioles and bronchi themselves, which causes a mucus to be produced.
Asthma is an inflammatory condition of the airways causing attacks of wheezing and breathlessness. It affects a person’s
Your airway has smooth muscles around the outside of the airway tubes also known as bronchial tubes. The tubes are open allowing air to flow freely; during an asthma attack those muscles begin to tighten that is called a bronchospasm restricting the airflow. During an asthma attack the lungs also become inflamed and the mucus in the tubes begins to become thicker and builds up, this makes it even more difficult for air to pass through the opening of the tubes. With the airway being restricted and the mucus build up causes a wheezing sound and shortness of breath and difficulty in inhaling and exhaling air (WebMD).
1.2. During an asthma attack, the air passages become narrow, their surrounding muscles tighten, and stickier mucus is produced. Patients experience symptoms like coughing, wheezing, chest tightening and breathlessness. Severe asthma attack can cause restriction of oxygen into the lungs and bloodstream (British Lungs Foundation, 2014). This can be dangerous and life threatening if immediate medical treatment is not received. Asthma symptoms are usually severe at night (NHS Choice, 2014). This can disturb patient’s sleep and can affect their behaviour and concentration. Asthma can also affect the patient ability to do physical exercises as well as their daily routine.
It would be hard to manage your asthma condition if you don't know what causes your asthma attacks. Here are less likely known
Asthma attacks also known as flare-ups or exacerbations occur when the airways are irritated and when certain symptoms are more intense than usual. Airways are the tubes that carries air in and out of our lungs and as mentioned earlier those who are affected by asthma have their airways inflamed. When asthma triggers such as indoor allergens or secondhand smokes are exposed to the inflamed airways the muscles around them tightens and aggravates its swelling. This causes airways to narrow down making it more difficult for air to flow through our lungs and thus lead into asthma attacks. In addition, mucus can build up and clog the airways causing the asthma to
The pathophysiology of Asthma includes inflammation of the airway. The way in which this works is from an irritant which can include dust, pollen, cedar, or cat hair. When a reaction occurs, the airways become inflamed and narrow. The narrowing occurs because once the inflammatory response is triggered by an irritant, histamines, immunoglobulin E antibodies, and leukotrienes are released. Because of this, mucous production occurs. Since the bronchioles are inflamed and narrow, breathing becomes difficult. Wheezing sounds can be heard due to the lack of air being able to easily move in and out of the narrowed bronchioles.