There are many different ways to treat and manage asthma symptoms. Usually steroids are used to take care of asthma but there are some other treatments too. Bronchodilators are one of those treatments. There are many kinds of bronchodilators and work by opening the airway. A few different bronchodilators are Short-term B2 agonists and Long-term B2 agonists. Short term bronchodilators are what rescue inhalers primarily are. These “provide quick, temporary relief from asthma symptoms or flare-ups” says Gstatic.com Long-term B2 agonists are preventatives to try and not let symptoms arrive in the first place. Steroids and steroidal inhalers are some more short term symptom managers. They work by stimulating hormones in your body to reduce inflammation
In an emergency situation, why is a drug most commonly delivered via injection versus an oral route?
A type of bronchodilator, aminophylline is a type of muscle relaxation medicine that helps lungs and chest circulate oxygen better. It is used to treat and prevent wheezing, restricted breathing and shortness of breath. The medicine is usually prescribed to those with bronchitis, asthma and lung diseases. As this medication requires a prescription, it is very important for a user to follow the instructions prescribed and take only at the times and the amount prescribed by his or her physician. Aminophylline can be in the form of liquid syrup, a pill or a cream. How this drug works is by making the lungs less sensitive to any allergens or foreign substances that may be inhaled, thus causing the muscles to relax in the chest and lungs and opening up the air passages so that breathing can be easier. It also increases the contractions in the diaphragm which aids better breathing patterns.
At various stages of asthma, preventative measures can be used to control or alleviate the symptoms associated with this disease. Education is an important component to every intervention phase, particularly in primary prevention, because the patient is encouraged to be proactive with their personal health in order to avoid and control the triggers. Prescribed medication, such as an inhaler, and an action plan that is individualized to the specific care of a particular patient is essential in the secondary prevention phase. Finally, in the tertiary prevention phase, the care is directed not only at the common asthmatic symptoms and triggers but also at the complications that result from long-term suffering of this disease. This paper focuses on environmental factors which trigger asthma, with specific focus on children from infancy to 16 years of age in low-income housing, and how the appropriate measure can minimize the triggers and symptoms. The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is the example we will use.
Growing up in school, I always saw classmates struggle with asthma. They struggled when the seasons changed, or when we would go out side for recess or P.E. Many school environments do not provide contaminated air, mold, etc. which exacerbate the problem. With a few nebulizers, younger students with asthma will have better lung development compared to if they were breathing in contaminated
Anwalla et al. (2011) explained that Albuterol is a rescue medication in the treatment of airway disease. Albuterol bronchodilators use and it transport exerts a significant impact on the rate of onset and the clinical outcomes.
Asthma control varies over time due to severity and changes in the environment, for example, home, school and or work environments. There are several medications and combinations used to control asthma attacks. The first line of medication are inhaled corticosteroids used to prevent and reduce airway swelling and inhaled long-acting beta agonist used to keep the airways open and relaxed (AAFA, 2015). Examples of long-acting corticosteroids are fluticasone, budesonide, mometasone, beclomethasone, ciclesonide, flunisolide. Examples of LABA medications are salmeterol and formoterol; it is important to remind patients that these medications are not to be used in emergency situations. At times, both medications are used together in a single medication to treat asthma and prevent attacks. Some caution that patients should be aware that when using combination medication, the risk for severe asthma attacks increase (Mayo Clinic, 2015). Examples of combination medications are Advair (fluticasone and salmeterol), Symbicort (budesonide and formoterol), Dulera (mometasone and formoterol) and Breo (fluticasone and
Pharmacological management includes the use of bronchodilators. The latest bronchodilator Anoro Ellipta seeks to manage COPD while simultaneously improving patient compliance. To understand the role of pharmacological treatment it is important to understand the fundamentals of COPD.
America’s cities have been built upon population growth and economic development — essentially meeting the economic needs of investors. The problem is that public leaders don’t always think about public health. Thinking about what to build, and taking into consideration the health of the people in the community. According to Dr. Jackson, co-author of Designing healthy communities, states ‘what really impacts people’s health is where they live, how they live, and the other people they are with’ — i.e. their surrounding community. (Designing, 2013.)
There is no cure for this condition, but certain treatments may help a patient to feel better, remain more active and also keep their condition from progressing so fast. First, the doctor will tell you if you are a smoker the best thing to do is to quit. And, depending on the severity of your COPD your doctor may advise you to see a pulminologist, who is a doctor who treats patients with lung problems. Then, different medications may be prescribed such as bronchodilators, short-acting or long-acting again depending on the severity of the disease. Both are used to relax the muscles around your airways to help make breathing easier; however, short-acting is said to only last four to six hours, whereas, long-acting is said to last twelve hours or more. Most bronchodilators are used through metered-dose inhalers. Also, inhaled steroids may be prescribed to reduce the airways from swelling. Doctors will usually prescribe the steroid for a trial period of six weeks to three months. Other treatments to help this disease from progressing may be pulmonary rehabilitation, oxygen therapy, and vaccines to prevent the patient from the pneumonia or the flu. Rarely, a patient may be advised to have surgery such as a bullectomy, which is a removal of one or more very large bullae of the lungs, a lung volume reduction surgery, which is used to removed damaged tissue from the lungs, or a lung transplant may also benefit patients who suffer
1.13. In your own words describe how asthma, which is a chronic illness, can become an acute and life threatening emergency? Asthma is a chronic long term issue where the airways become tightened making it harder to breathe. Acute asthma or exacerbation of asthma is when the airways again become tightened and inflamed, swollen and make it hard to breathe which sounds like wheezing, coughing and difficulty in consuming enough oxygen. Can be caused by a allergenic(Chrisp & Taylor, 2011)
A Bronchodilator can help COPD by opening up air ways to your lungs and make breathing easier but it will not permanently fix the condition. Steroids on the other hand can have a longer lasting effect by helping your lungs and air ways open up. For example my uncle had this disease and he took steroids in his neck for years but now he no longer has to because his air ways have opened up enough where he no longer needs a Bronchodilator. Lastly some major musicians will take steroids to open up their lungs to they can breath take bigger breaths (But the method is looked down upon by many
It is very interesting how environmental factors and genetics can affect ones health. Throughout my experience as a nurse aid, I have observed that the use of inhalers have become very common in our society. I always questioned what health conditions cause the use of in halers other than asthma. Very surprisingly, people who don’t even smoke can be affected by just inhaling the smell around others who smoke. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the health conditions that are cause by inhaling environmental pollutants which can result in asthma as well. One may ask, what exactly is COPD? It is the type of pulmonary disorder such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis in which the upper airway is chronically obstructed. The condition
The Australian average statistic for people that smoke is 23.3%. The employed adult average statistic is 84%. Knowing this we can roughly estimate that in the average workplace 1 out of 4-5 people will smoke. The Australian average for people that suffer from asthma is 18%. This makes 1 out of 5 people in the workplace will suffer from some form of asthma. Unfortunately, having smokers allowed to smoke in and around the premise of a workplace limits the interactions the asthma sufferers can have with other workmates as well as limiting the areas the sufferers may go due to the thick, tar soaked air.
Anti-inflammatory drugs like the steroid inhaler are the most important treatment for most asthma patients. Inhaled steroids, work by reducing swelling and mucus production in the airways, as a result, the airways are less sensitive and less likely to react to asthmatic triggers that cause asthma attacks. Bronchodilators are medications that relieve symptoms of asthma by relaxing the muscles that tighten around the airways. The two types of bronchodilators are long-acting and short-acting. Short-acting bronchodilators are often referred to as rescue inhalers and are used to quickly relieve coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath caused by asthma. It should not be used as a daily routine treatment of asthma; however patients with exercise-induced asthma can use it prior to exercise. Long-acting bronchodilators are sometimes used with the combination of inhaled steroids for control of asthma symptoms or for someone with ongoing asthma symptoms despite treatment of daily inhaled steroids. Long-acting bronchodilators are never used alone as long term therapy for asthma. A statement from National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Laboratory says that “inhaled corticosteroids are the preferred medicine for long term control of asthma” (2014 URL). Two types of equipment used to deliver asthma drugs to the lungs are the inhalers and nebulizers. The inhaler is the most common and effective way to administer through the airway. The nebulizer is an asthma drug delivery machine that can be used if a patient has difficulty with the smaller inhalers. Other drugs are: Cromolyn, a medicine that helps prevent airway inflammation, omalizumab; an injection given one or two times a month to prevent asthma triggers like pollen and dust mites, prednisone;an anti-inflammatory drug used for serious asthma attacks, and prevents the release of substances
Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by episodes in which the bronchioles constrict due to oversensitivity. In asthma, the airways (bronchioles) constrict making it difficult to get air in or out of the lungs. Breathlessness is the main symptom. The bronchi and bronchioles become inflamed and constricted. Asthmatics usually react to triggers. Triggers are substances and situations that would not normally trouble an asthma free person. Asthma is either extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic is when the inflammation in the airway is a result of hypersensitivity reactions associated with allergy (food or pollen). Intrinsic asthma is linked to hyper responsive reactions to other forms of