Asthma Poor Mental Health

R.J. is a 15-year-old boy with a history of asthma diagnosed at age 8. His asthma episodes are triggered by exposure to cats and various plant pollens. He has been using his albuterol inhaler 10 to 12 times per day over the last 3 days and is continuing to wheeze. He normally needs his inhaler only occasionally (2 or 3 times per week). He takes no other medications and has no other known medical conditions. Physical examination reveals moderate respiratory distress with a respiratory rate of 32, oximetry 90%, peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) 60% of predicted, and expiratory wheezing.

“Final call girl’s four by eight-hundred-meter relay” called the official. The Ontario Track girl’s four by eight-meter team trooped up to lane one, in unison. I would not have wanted to be racing with anyone else but my relay family. We had trained all season for this one race. Every workout, asthma attack, tear, and shin splint has lead up to this one race to break a twenty year old school record. As we jogged with the official from the bullpen to the starting line, the crowd had uproars of excitement for the athletes. An immense smile grew across my face, not only from the ecstatic crowd, but from the anticipation to race. I approached the starting line, in the first lane, while my teammates arrayed along the fence with the other second,

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).

The feeling of a lead brick on your chest, desperately needing air but unable to draw a breath and the feeling of drowning in the very substance you need to survive. Shaking hands squeeze a canister and suddenly there is a rush of medication, an odd taste and then the brick gets lighter and lighter as gradually more oxygen comes in and once again air is flowing in and out properly. For an individual with asthma, an inhaler feels like the most amazing invention ever to grace the human mind or hands. Without the medicine stored in the tiny canister, life as is known by the average non-asthmatic would be but a dream for myself and around 25.7 million other people (Akinbami and Johnson, 2012). The idea of inhaling medicine to cure ailments started

Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs which impacts many cultures/communities at a disproportionate rate within New York City limits East Harlem for example. Socio-economic status seems to play a significant role in determining which social class groups and geographic locations such as 96th street where lower rates of asthmatics have been reported. Lower socio-economic groups have multiple issues East Harlem to the South Bronx are at-risk urban communities, the assumption being that there are inadequate

When Stress levels begin to raise other anything such as bills, work or traffic, Asthma symptoms can instantly kick in. Asthma and anxiety can make a vicious circle, and one that can spiral downward quickly. Firstly stress and anxiety can cause physiological changes that could provoke an attack to occur. These emotions trigger the release of chemicals, such as leukotrienes and histamine, which cause the narrowing of the airway. During this horrific period of stress and anxiety, it can get into the head of people and they forget to do the basics. People might forget to take their medications which can cause an attack. These stress-related hormones also reduce the body’s ability to fight off respiratory infections like colds. Stress can affect the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, immune and central nervous system. It can also create powerful physiologic reaction that can lead to airway constriction and changes in the immune system. This can play a vital role in making the Asthma symptoms worse. The mechanism between anxiety and Asthma is many-fold, with uncontrolled amounts of emotions can work the nerve and cause constriction to muscles, like the smooth muscles of the airways in the lungs. They begin to tighten up and constrict, which can trigger wheezing, coughing and tightness in the chest for people. Even though stress and anxiety start all in your head with mind games, Asthma is a physical disease related to the lungs. You may think it’s in your head but it’s not,

Discuss the prevalence of asthma in certain patient populations that you might see in primary care. Asthma is chronic airway inflammation disorder that is characterized by persistent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and non-productive cough, mainly at night and in the early morning. The inflammation of the airway results from physical, chemical, and pharmacologic stimulus, which causes bronchial hyper-responsiveness, constriction of the airways, edema of airway wall, and chronic airway remodeling (Cash, 2014). Asthma occurs at all ages, with about 50% of all cases developing during childhood and another 30% before age 40. In the United States, it is estimated that 25 million people have asthma and the prevalence continues to increase (McCance, & Huether, 2014). Previously, asthma was considered

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.

Occupational asthma is defined as asthma caused by exposure to airborne dust, vapors or fumes to individuals in the working environment without previous exposure to asthma, the term work-related asthma comprises of occupational asthma. Occupational asthma results from inhaling agents in the workplace and cases of occupational asthma requires to be clinically examined to confirm the actual diagnosis to patients identified with symptoms of asthma (Clayton, 2011:674&675)

Asthma is one of the most prevalent respiratory diseases. It is a chronic condition with recurring, exacerbations characterized by bronchial hyper-responsiveness and inflammation leading to airflow obstruction (Cabana, et al., 2014). Over time, the chronic inflammation may cause permanent damage to the airway (Wenzel, 2012). Asthma affects people of all ages but typically begins in childhood (Wenzel, 2012). This paper will explore the pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic asthma and acute asthma exacerbation. Additionally, it will cover how age and behavior can impact the pathophysiology and influence the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Finally, mind maps will illustrate, visually, the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of both the chronic and acute phase of asthma.

School-age students with asthma missing more days of school and having lower mathematical scores (Krenitsky-Korn, 2011). Earlier studies on college students have also demonstrated that students with asthma miss 2.8 days on average of class due to asthma during one semester (Jolicoeur, Boyer, & Roeder, 1994; Carpentier, Mullins, & Van Pelt, 2007). Carpentier et al., 2007) documented that college students with asthma have lower cumulative grade point averages than students without asthma, due to the already persistent stress that comes with college in addition to their

According to the Nedley Health Foundation (2016), about 26% of Americans have some serious mental health condition. If those with anxiety and other minor mental health illnesses are

Breathing is a vital process for every human. Normal breathing is practically effortless for most people, but those with asthma face a great challenge. During an asthma attack, breathing is hampered, making it difficult or even impossible for air to flow through the lungs. Asthma is an increasingly common problem, and has become the most common chronic childhood disease. At least 17 million Americans suffer from it(1), and although it can be fatal, it is usually not that severe(4). There is no cure for asthma, but with proper care, it can usually be controlled.

Asthma is an incurable, lifelong breathing issue in which a person’s airway swells up in response to triggers. Asthma can be controlled with medications and being aware of what triggers asthma attack and avoiding them. Triggers can be food, smoke, pets, dust mites, environmental allergens, etc.

Mental health is all about how we think, feel and behave. It refers to our cognitive, and/or our emotional wellbeing. It describes a sense of wellbeing. Mental health ‘problems’ or ‘difficulties’ are terms used to describe temporary reactions to a painful event, stress, or systems of drug or alcohol use, lack of sleep or physical illness. It can also be used to describe long-term psychiatric conditions, which may have significant effects on an individual’s functioning. Some of the most common mental health problems are; anxiety, depression, psychosis, mania, schizophrenia, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, OCD. A qualified clinician should only diagnose such conditions. Anxiety and depression feature as the two