Why Do Asthma Sufferers

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

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.

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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.

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.

According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), one out of ten children have asthma in the United States (2016). “Asthma is the leading chronic disease in children, it is also the top reason for missed school days.” (AAFA, 2016, para 3). Asthma is described as the inflammation of the bronchi in the lungs. The narrowing of the bronchi makes it difficult to breath, due to the inflammation; a wheezing sound might be heard during an acute asthma attack. Bronchi are small branches in the lungs that helps deliver air or oxygen into the lungs when inhaled, and helps remove carbon dioxide out of the body during expiration. Learning the anatomy of the lungs will be beneficial in learning how asthma affects the body. When a person breaths, the air goes through the nasal cavity, to the pharynx and larynx, then to the trachea and into the lungs, where the bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli are located.

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.

History of Present Illness: Ms. Johnson is a very pleasant 66-year-old woman who was previously evaluated in this office by Elvira Aguila, MD for the diagnosis of asthma. She was last seen in January 2015. She states that overall, she has done well. However, over the last two to three weeks, she has noticed increasing shortness of breath as well as productive cough, rhinorrhea and postnasal drip. She states that she has been using her rescue inhaler above and beyond what is normal for her up to 10 times a day yesterday and she states that she has had some improvement in her symptoms with her short acting bronchodilator. She denies any fevers or chills.

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.)

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)

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

How is life like diagnosed asthma? How can someone as special as a mother has this disease, and, be able to relentlessly work every day, just to feed her family? My mother is someone who’s impacted by this disease, ever since she was small. But she’s someone who has been through many of the side effects of asthma since she stated in an interview saying, “When I was younger, I lived in the rural areas of Vietnam, specially Danang. At the time medication was very expensive, so I couldn’t afford to buy an inhaler. Which meant I’ve experienced numerous side effects of Asthma. For me, I’ve been through two asthma attacks, both were very serious and did impact largely on my health. It was challenging to live without the medications I needed, but, I fought through it all.” Consequently, there's not really a cure for Asthma now, but there are ways to relieve Asthma.

Furthermore, keeping the child athlete’s prescription asthma medication e.g. Ventolin in the team first aid kit during training and game days is vital to ensure that the child’s wellbeing is being looked after. Another measure that can be undertaken is for both coaches and the parents of the child having spare puffers on them. It is important that the coach/parent gets in the routine of giving the athlete 1-2 inhalations of a Ventolin 15 minutes prior to exercise just to open the airway and decrease the risk of an asthma attack occurring. Which in turn, by providing coaches and parents with the awareness and preparation for asthma, the risk of an asthma attack occurring is decreased. Thus, the child or young athlete’s wellbeing will not be in danger nor will their sports performance be jeopardised while participating in their chosen sporting activity.

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.

Children with asthma around secondhand smoke have more severe and frequent asthma attacks, which can put a child’s life in danger.