Asthma
Samantha Romaine
Fundamentals of Pathophysiology FALB11 Sec C
Asthma is defines as a disease caused by increased responsiveness of the
tracheobronchial tree to various stimuli, which tends to cause dyspnea and wheezing.
During an asthma attack also known as a asthma flare up, the muscles surrounding the
airways become tight and the lining of the air passages swell. When that happens it
makes breathing very difficult. Close to 25 million people suffer from asthma and it
happens to be the most common serious chronic disease diagnosed in children. My goal
is to go into in-depth detail about this disease, describe the causes and different types of
asthma, how the environment effects asthma, and finally explain the different treatment
methods of asthma.
The diagnoses of asthma will usually come from your primary care physician. He
or she will ask about family history of asthma and allergies. The doctor will also ask if
there is a certain time of day your symptoms occur and how often they occur. The doctor
will then determine the level of severity, which will determine the course of treatment.
During the physical exam the doctor will listen to your breathing. He or she will listen for
signs of wheezing, runny nose or swollen nasal passages. Eczema also seems to go hand
in hand with asthma so the doctor will also look for signs on any skin allergies. The
doctor will use a test called spirometry. The test measures how much air your able to
breath in and out. The test will also measure how fast you are capable of blowing air out.
More than likely he or she will also do a chest x-ray, electrocardiography (EKG), and
allergy tests. (How is Asthma Diagnosed, 2011)
In children a diagnoses is not confirmed until age 6. The reason is because the
symptoms of asthma can often be confused with other conditions. Until age 6 children
that wheeze are considered to have colds or respiratory infections. The biggest reason
they are not officially diagnosed with asthma is because some children are born with
smaller airways and do grow and develop, as the child gets older. Of course having small
airways will cause similar symptoms to asthma such as wheezing and labored breathing.
After age six and asthma symptoms are still appearing the doctor will then confirm the
diagnoses. When one or both parents of child have asthma it is more likely than not that
the child will have asthma. (How is Asthma Diagnosed, 2011)
After a confirmed diagnosis the doctor will then decide which type of asthma the
patient has. Allergic asthma, exercise induced asthma, cough variant asthma,
occupational asthma and nocturnal asthma are all the different types. (Types of Asthma)
Allergic asthma is actually really simple to understand. Basically its hay fever
(also knows as allergic rhinitis) induced attacks. When you have hay fever you may feel a
constant runny nose, ongoing sneezing, swollen nasal passages, excess mucus, weepy
eyes and a scratchy throat. A cough is usually followed because of the nasal drip, which
will trigger an asthma attack. (Types of Asthma)
Exercise-induces asthma is just that, asthma attacks that are brought on by
exercise or heavy physical activity. Usually people with any type of asthma will
experience symptoms with heavy exercise. About 5-20 minutes after exercise begins a
person with exercise-induced asthma will most likely start to experience attack. (Types of
Asthma)
Cough-variant asthma is caused when a person for other reasons will begin
coughing and then develop into having a asthma attack. The original cough is usually
caused by postnasal drip, chronic rhinitis, sinusitis, or gastroesophageal reflux disease
(GERD, or heart burn). Cough-variant asthma, if you can cure or limit the cough you can
usually be symptom free of asthma. (Types of Asthma)
Workplace triggers bring on occupational asthma. With this type of asthma a
patient will present with symptoms only at work. Many people with this type will not
present with the normal wheezing and coughing but with runny nose and congestions or
even eye irritation. Occupations that seem to have more of this type of asthma is animal
breeders, hair dressers, farmers, nurses, painters and wood workers. (Types of Asthma)
Nocturnal (Nighttime) asthma is a really common type of this disease. If you
suffer from asthma you have a much higher chance of experiencing symptoms at night.
Studies show that most asthma related deaths will occur at night because during a deep
sleep because the asthma patient is less likely you wake up and pursue appropriate
treatment. The reason symptoms seem to appear at night during sleep is because it is
powerfully influenced by the sleep-awake cycle, increased exposure to allergens, cooling
of the airways, simply being in the reclining position, or even hormone secretions that
follow a circadian pattern. There have been cases where heartburn will also trigger an
asthma attack. (Types of Asthma)
The environment plays a huge role in people that suffer from asthma’s lifestyle.
There are so many factors that come into play when it comes to the environment that
surrounds a asthma patient. Something as simple as a few particles of dust can trigger a
severe asthma attack. Molds, cockroaches, pet dander, and second hand smoke will
almost always trigger asthma flare-ups. There are even studies that have proven that
second hand smoke, dust mites and mold have been the cause of someone developing
asthma. (EPA, 2011)
Even there are all several different types and reasons people have asthma, they are
all generally treated with the same types of medication. There is currently no cure of
asthma however there is ways to stop the symptoms and almost cease the onset of new
attacks. Asthma treatments vary in types. Some are inhaled, while others are taken in pill
form, some are considered long terms while others are for quick relief. The most
common drugs that are used to treat asthma are inhaled corticosteroid such as Asmanex
and Flovent. Those drugs help prevent symptoms all together. Long acting beta-agonist
will also help prevent asthma symptoms but its important to not rely on these drugs for
asthma attacks. They are meant to simply prevent attacks from happening but will not
work as a rescue inhaler. Some oral preventives are Singular, Xolair, and Intal. Although
Aminophylline and Theophylline have been used in the past they are rarely used now.
Almost 13 million people report each year to have suffered from at least one
asthma attack. Treatment of asthma attacks is very important and should be taken
seriously. Quick relief drugs are used when someone is actually suffering from a asthma
attack or flare up. Like I mentioned above an asthma attack is when the airway swells
making it very difficult to breath. A lot of times the patient will have a very hard time on
exhaling air. Quick relief drugs, such as Proventil, Albuterol and Xopenex are inhaled
during an asthma attack which will relax the airways making it easier to inhale and
exhale like normal. Quick relief drugs are also know as rescue drugs can also be taken
before exercise or heavy physical activity to prevent the onset of a asthma attack. Doctors
can also prescribe oral steroids, also called corticosteroids when a patient is having a
asthma attack that just will not go away. Sever asthma attacks that cannot be got under
control may require a doctors assistance. Often times a doctor will admit the patient to a
medical facility and place the patient on oxygen, breathing assistance and intravenous
therapy.
When a doctor prescribes an inhaled medication it can be given two different ways. An
inhaler, also known as a puffer is a portable device that can fit in a pocket or purse. It can
quickly deliver the medication through the mouth in an aerosol type liquid. It’s a very fast
acting and it perfect for on the go. The second type is a nebulizer. It to is a device used to
administer a quick relief drug however it is primarily used to home or a medical facility.
The patient or doctor will put the appropriate mixture of drugs into the container and the
patient then wears a mask or mouthpiece and will simply inhale and exhale. It can
sometime take a little longer to subside the symptoms but most doctors will agree that the
medicine is longer lasting and better for more severe attacks. Although all doctors will
agree that the best way to treat and prevent asthma is to limit the contact of triggers. For
example a person with sever allergic asthma that is allergic to pet dander should do his or
her best to stay away from any animal that has dander, simple as that. (Asthma , 2011)
Everyday in the United States 40,000 people will miss work or school, 5,000
people will visit the emergency room and unfortunately 11 people will die. (Asthma facts
and figures). The goal for the patient and doctor to successfully come up with a proper
medical treatment plan to reduce or even eliminate the onset of asthma flare ups or
attacks. Its important to understand the details, causes, triggers, and treatment of this
powerful disease.
Works Cited
Asthma . (2011, May 1). Retrieved from University of Maryland Medical Center:
http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/000141.htm
Asthma facts and figures. (n.d.). Retrieved from Asthma and allergy foundation of
Amercia: http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=8&sub=42#fast
CDC. (2009, April 27). Retrieved from Asthma management and treatment:
http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/management.html
EPA. (2011, March). Retrieved from
http://www.epa.gov/asthma/pdfs/asthma_fact_sheet_en.pdf
Fast stats Asthma . (2012, Jan 27). Retrieved from Center for Disease Control:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/asthma.htm
How is Asthma Diagnosed. (2011, Feb 1). Retrieved from National Heart Lung and
Blood Institute: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/healthtopics/topics/asthma/diagnosis.html
Types of Asthma. (n.d.). Retrieved from webmd:
http://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/types-asthma
Zelman, M., Tompary, E., Raymond, J., & Holdaway, P. Human Disease: A systemic
approach, 7th edition.