Respiratory Disease: Asthma In The United States

It is important to research environmental risk factors that influence asthma in low income neighborhoods to find possible ways to prevent asthma. The study “Urban Asthma and the Neighborhood Environment in New York City” proves that there is a positive correlation between neighborhoods and asthma hospitalizations.2 Children in lower income neighborhoods are more likely to be hospitalized due to asthma. Those living in lower income neighborhoods also tend to be minorities, which implies that African Americans and Latinos are more susceptible to asthma.2 Moreover, minorities are more likely to be living in public housing. The study explains that 11% of all housing units in Harlem is broken down and not suitable for living which proves that there is a positive correlation between the population of minorities and living in run-down housing and asthma related hospitalization.2

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.

To better understand the impact of asthma, a brief overview of the causes (aetiology) and disease progression (pathophysiology) must be shown. As common as asthma is, not much is known about its aetiology, according to findings presented by Subbaroa, Mandhane and Sears (2009, pg. 181-187) in a review from the Canadian

This results in Hispanics Americans living in very tightly-knit segregated urban communities, in older housing, and lack access to healthcare that can contribute to asthma exacerbation (Bhan et al., 2015). In the State of Connecticut there is a program called, Putting on AIRS or Asthma Indoor Risk Strategies. This program designed to assess environmental risk in the homes for asthmatic children and families. The hope is to reduce the frequency of asthma-related events by identifying environmental triggers. A public health nurse experienced in asthma management, conducts asthma education in the home. There is also an assessment for environmental asthma triggers in the home such as roach infestation or mold. The program follows participants over a six-month time frame, and has been shown to significantly improve outcomes for asthmatics (Nepaul et al.,

Asthma is a respiratory disease that many people deal with every single day. “According to World Health Organization, approximately 180,000 people die from asthma each year.” (Jardins and Burton 187) Most people never think of asthma as a life threatening disease, but it can be crucial. As the number of people with asthma increases, the more likely you are to come in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with this disease. Asthma is a severe breathing problem that has many complications that is dealt with daily like shortness of breath, chronic cough, tightness of the chest and shortness of breath, my main focus is childhood asthma, allergic asthma, and medication to treat asthma.

In this paper, I will explore asthma prevalence of children living in New York City. Asthma is an existing serious public health concern in inner cities and urban environments. Especially children with asthma from low SES families or minority groups face difficulties accessing health care, receiving high-quality continuous care, and preventative education. In other words, there is a disparity in the asthma prevalence and care in New York City.

As of 2009, studies conducted by the CDC have shown that asthma impacts approximately one in every twelve people, and the numbers only continue to grow (CDC, 2011). Some of the most common symptoms can range anywhere from coughing (especially at night or during exercise), wheezing and chest tightness, to shortness of breath. Asthma is often a chronic condition and while many times it can present itself as being mild, it can also sometimes lead to death if a person suffers an asthma attack. Asthma can be genetic, but it can also be caused, as well as exacerbated by, environmental factors such as air pollution. Studies have shown that children living in the Bronx are experiencing asthma at levels eight times higher than the national average. In addition, rates of death from asthma are a whopping three times higher than the national average, and hospitalization rates at about five times higher.” (Ruppell, 2000). Asthma is not a disease that targets only one group of people, yet the Bronx still exhibits disproportionately high levels of asthma especially in neighborhoods that are poorer areas of the city. In fact, people from these poor areas are 21 times more likely to be hospitalized due to asthmatic conditions compared to people from more affluent parts of the city (Ruppell,

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 affects 1 in every 12 Americans. According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology, Asthma is affects “About 1 in 9 (11%) non-Hispanic blacks of all ages and about 1 in 6 (17%) of non-Hispanic black children had asthma in 2009, the highest rate among racial/ethnic groups.” As a mother of child with asthma, I know how scary it can be to deal with asthma attacks and learning how to treat the symptoms and minimize risk factors.

After I read your post,I looked at the good and bad "asthma cities" on AAFA.org. I discovered that Oklahoma City was ranked the fifth worst in 2015. I knew a couple of kids growing up that had asthma and no longer have it now. I've always heard of some people outgrowing asthma and epilepsy.

Asthma is prevalent in all countries regardless of level of the development. According to the World Health Organization 235 million people worldwide have asthma. It is however estimated that 80% of asthma deaths occur in low income countries (World Health Organization, 2015). Within the United States there are many climates and environmental triggers that can cause an exacerbation is asthma symptoms. According to the NHLBI hospitalization is three times higher among African Americans than white, and Puerto Ricans have the highest rate of asthma attacks and deaths related to asthma. Severe asthma is more common among women, children, low income inner city residents, Puerto Ricans, and African American. This disparity within the

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.

One of the largest barriers to the management of asthma amongst underserved children, is access to a primary care physician (Greek, Kieckhefer, Kim, Joesch, & Baydar, 2006). Since asthma is a chronic disease; like most, it requires constant care, control and management of symptoms to prevent exacerbation of the disease. According to a study conducted by Moorman et al., between the years 2001-2003, minority children compared to white children, had a much greater chance of being treated in an emergency room rather than being treated by a primary care physician. The marked increase of emergency room visits led to regular hospitalized stays, higher mortality rates, and the use of short-acting medication opposed to a long-term systemic use of anti-inflammatory

This paper will discuss the case of Mrs. Marble Harris, an 82 years old female, who was admitted into the hospital after being found by a nursing staff on the floor next to her bed. She was conscious and lucid and her right leg was generally swollen and extremely rotated to the left which could indicate hip fracture. She had an operation to fix the fracture. The past medical history revealed that she had taken an anti-inflammatory and analgesic tablets for osteoarthritis which affect her joint causing a lot of pain. This paper is going to discuss assessment tools, Mrs. Harris's main problems, nursing goals of management, nursing intervention and discharge planning.

Experts have yet to understand why the rates of asthma are rising by an average of 50% every decade worldwide. According to the Asthma Society of Canada (2016), asthma is now considered to be a major health concern with approximately 235 million suffering from this illness worldwide. Kuhn et al (2015) states that as at 2012, one out of 12 people in the United States had asthma and the number continues to rise. More people have been diagnosed with this disease and in 2007; over 3000 deaths were linked to Asthma. Furthermore, the costs of treating asthma continue to rise with about 56 billion dollars being spent in 2007 compared to $53 billion in 2002 (CDC, 2011). From data gathered in California, which is our area of study, it was estimated that 2.3 million