Exercise-induced Asthma Essay

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

This theory states that as exercise begins, rate of breathing increases rapidly, and in order for the air to be warmed and saturated with water as it is inhaled, water vapor from the respiratory epithelium must be contributed. This contribution leads to hyperosmolarity of the epithelium, which causes bronchoconstriction through a series of undetermined events. This can be supported by the fact that inhaling hyperosmolar saline at rest will cause bronchoconstriction.

In addition, asthma affects the smooth muscle walls and glands of the bronchioles, due to narrowing of the bronchial passageway, this results in a build-up of mucus in the bronchial tubes leading to difficulty breathing (Rizzo 2016, p.423). Airflow in the alveoli becomes limited due to inflammation causing bronchoconstriction, as the inflammatory process begins mast cells degranulate and release inflammatory mediators (Kaufman 2012, pp.589-590). ‘The inflammatory process results in vascular congestion, production of thick mucus, bronchial muscle spasm and thickening of the airway walls’ resulting in Jessica becoming short of breath and coughing (Kaufman 2012, pp.589-590). Typically, this reaction occurs 30 to 60 minutes after being exposed to the triggering allergen or irritant (Kaufman 2012, pp.589-590). Asthma can be triggered by a range of different factors including exercise, infection, exposure to allergens or airborne substances such as dust, fumes or pollen (Rizzo 2016, p.843). However, some asthma attacks may be worse than others, this is because a severe asthma attack can completely narrow and close the airway (Lew 2011, pp.43-45). This can result in oxygen not getting to vital organs such as the heart or brain and can result in

Known also as “Bronchial asthma”, asthma is a long term inflammatory illness. It is specific breathing problem which is caused due to decreasing the space of the airways. The respiratory system takes oxygen into the lung and discards carbon dioxide. The airways play an important role in breathing, when we breathe, the air passes in the body through nose or mouth, and goes down to the lungs. The airways conduct to the chest, where it diverge into two (bronchioles), and then every bronchiole divides into small tubes till they reach the nodes in the lungs. When these

Asthma affects breathing through the airways in the lungs. The airways constrict and build up with mucus, making little room for air to come in and out. "Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing."

Inflammation of the airways is an important component of asthma. Inflammation can make your airways more sensitive and more narrow than usual, making it harder to breathe. The airways in the lungs may react to various triggers and become more inflamed. The muscles around the airways can also tighten. All these can reduce airflow in your airways and can cause asthma symptoms.

Exercise-induced asthma - Physiological stress (increase in heart rate and blood flow to the lungs, in combination with the increase in breathing demands. As a result, the lungs tend to become inflamed; wheezing noises.

The objective of this study was to determine the acute and immediate effects of cold and warm air exercise on pulmonary functioning testing (PFT) and the presence of exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) in seemingly healthy athletes. The researchers also wanted to conclude if there was a significant decrease of PFT variables like peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1.0). The study included the participation of eight men and four women with a mean age of 31.6 + 4.8 years and 27.3 + 5.0 years respectively. Each runner had to confirm the following prior to participating in the experiment: 1) rid of any metabolic, cardiac, and respiratory diseases, 2) run at least 20 miles each week, and 3) land within 21 and 45 years old. The experiment occurred in January in Minnesota. The two settings were an outside course and a treadmill indoors with a 6% grade and speed adapted to accommodate the runners’ 85-95% maximal heart rate (MHR).

Asthma is a chronic airway disorder marked by inflammation. The inflammation affects multiple structures involved in the respiratory system of the body. These structures include the trachea, the bronchi, and the bronchioles. Bronchoconstriction is the main response that occurs during an asthma attack. The bronchoconstriction can be attributed to many different factors including edema, an excessive amount of mucus, muscle damage and bronchospasms. Bronchospasms are “… sharp contractions of bronchial smooth muscle” (Lynn & Kushto-Reese, 2015). The muscle damage can lead to severe airway impairment and a perforated epithelium which then allows easy entry of the allergens and triggers.

As asthma becomes more persistent and inflammation progresses, other factors further limit airflow. These include mucus hypersecretion, inflammation, edema, and the formation of mucus plugs. Airway hyper responsiveness, which is an exaggerated bronchoconstrictor response to a wide variety of stimuli is a major but not unique feature of asthma. The mechanisms influencing airway hyper responsiveness are multiple and include inflammation, structural changes, and dysfunctional neuroregulation. Inflammation appears to be a major factor in determining the degree of airway hyper responsiveness. This bronchial hyper responsiveness occurs after bronchoprovocation by methacholine, histamine, cold air, exercise, viral upper respiratory infection, cigarette smoke and respiratory allergens. Bronchial provocation with allergen induces a prompt early phase immunoglobin E (IgE)-mediated decrease in bronchial airflow followed in many patients by a late phase IgE-mediated reaction with a decrease in bronchial airflow for 4-8 hours. The gross pathology of asthmatic airways displays smooth muscle hypertrophy, lung hyperinflation, mucosal edema, lamina reticularis thickening, epithelial cell sloughing, mucus gland hypersecretion,

In an asthmatic attack the diameter of the small bronchi is diminished as a result of spasm of the muscular coat, active congestion of the mucous membrane and excessive secretion of tough mucus. In inspiration the

Asthma is a disease that affects over 25 million people in the United States, including 7 million children. Asthma affects the lower airways and is characterized by bronchial hyperresponsiviness and decreased airflow. People suffer from asthma attacks, which cause the lungs to become swollen and inflamed thus making it difficult to breath. These attacks range in severity from mild, moderate or severe. Symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing and chest pain. These symptoms can affect people on a daily basis or on occasion (Zanni, 2013).

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.

The sensitive airways in people with asthma can react negatively to substances inhaled through those tubes to the lungs. The muscles around the airways can tighten, the swelling can get worse and mucus can form. When these reactions happen, the person can have an asthma attack. The attacks are called flareups. Asthma