Asthma Essay on Breathing Challenges

Essay about Asthma
Asthma
Breathing is a vital process for every human. Normal breathing is practically effortless for most people, but those with asthma face a great challenge.
During an asthma attack, breathing is hampered, making it difficult or even impossible for air to flow through the lungs. Asthma is an increasingly
common problem, and has become the most common chronic childhood disease. At least 17 million Americans suffer from it(1), and although it can be
fatal, it is usually not that severe(4). There is no cure for asthma, but with proper care, it can usually be controlled.
As someone with Exercise Induced Asthma, I have personal experience with the topic. I have experienced most of the symptoms described in my
research, tried...show more content...
It is also often referred to as the "windpipe." The trachea then branches off like a tree. The first splits of this "tree" are the bronchi, and the smallest
branches are called the bronchioles. Thus after air travels through the trachea, it then reaches the bronchi, and spreads throughout the bronchioles.
Small air sacks called alveoli are at the tips of the bronchioles. When air reaches them, the oxygen concentration is high, which causes diffusion into
red blood cells travelling through pulmonary capillaries (7). The red blood cells then distribute the new oxygen to the rest of the body. When they
reach the alveoli again, they exchange carbon dioxide (a form of cell waste) for new oxygen, and repeat the process. The carbon dioxide is moved
through the bronchioles, bronchi, and trachea in the form of exhalation.
The bronchi and bronchiole tubes are loosely wrapped with muscle. During regular breathing, the muscles around these airways are relaxed (5). This
allows air to flow freely through these passageways to the alveoli. However, during an asthma attack, air has trouble reaching the alveoli, which
prevents the body from receiving oxygen. This is because the airways become smaller. Firstly, the muscles around the airways spasm and contract. This
then causes inflammation of the bronchioles and bronchi themselves, which causes a mucus to be produced.
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Asthma Essay
Asthma is a condition of the bronchial tubes characterized by episodes of constriction and increased mucous production. A person with asthma has
bronchial tubes that are super sensitive to various stimuli, or triggers, that can produce asthma symptom.In other words, asthmatics have special
sensitivity that causes their lung tissue to react far more than is should to various stimulating factors or triggers. For this reason, people with asthma are
said to have "twitchy airways."Some symptoms that people with asthma commonly experience are chest tightenings, difficulty inhaling and
exhaling, wheezing, production of large amounts of mucous in their windpipes and coughing.Coughing can be frequent or intermittent, and can be
...show more content...
To make matters worse, mucous enters the narrowed bronchial tubes and plugs them up, causing a further decrease in air flow. The bronchial tubes
seem to close down, and air moving through these narrowed breathing passages can cause wheezing which is a high–pithched–whistlelike sound.
Wheezing can be loud enough to be heard across a room, or it can be so slight that is takes a stethoscope to hear it.
Airflow obstructions leads to air trapping in lungs. Once trapped, stale air builds up in the lungs.Asthma attacks can be so mild they're hardly noticed
or so severe that asthmatics can feel like they're suffocating. Although more attacks seem to occur at night, they can virtually happen anytime. Attacks
may come on very suddenly, or they may develop slowly over a period of hours or days.Among other contributing factors, asthmatics have an imbalance
in their autonomic nervous system that controls the reactivity of their windpipes. The imbalance causes their windpipes to become over reactive to
many different stimulating factors, or triggers.
An asthmatic trigger can be any stimulus that brings about or sets off asthma symptoms.Asthma triggers vary widely among asthmatics. The most
common triggers are allergies, irritating substances such as dust, fumes, odors and vapors. Environmental factors, including weather changes and air

Sample Asthma Case Study
Tammy is a 17–year–old girl who was just diagnosed with asthma. She is a cheerleader for her high school and is very busy with social events
throughout the year. Next year Tammy will attend View University on a cheerleading scholarship. She is very excited, but is a little nervous about
living away from home. Lately she has been having trouble controlling her asthma.
When Tammy goes into her Physician they would do a physical and check her throat and her nose to make sure they are clear. He will want to make
sure she doesn't have any respiratory infections first. For further testing he can check with a stethoscope for any wheezing. He will also check for any
skin breakouts like eczema or hives. He will ask what the symptoms are and when...show more content...
It costs a considerable amount for the copays every month for the inhalers and you need to always have the Anticholinergics like Flovent for daily
use. Also patients have said that they don't think that their symptoms are bad enough to keep up with the treatment and maintenance of the disease.
It is definitely hard for me as a Mom of a toddler to have to give her, her treatments every morning and evening. I have noticed a difference though
if I miss a dose or two though. I would never want my daughter to suffer. If you have state insurance it will cover it with no copay. So that will help.
Also another barrier is that patients are afraid at the length of time being on the medication and if your body will get used to the medication and cause
resistance. They are worried that they will eventually need more medication to take care of the symptoms. Sometimes with teens they may forget to
treat their asthma or maybe embarrassed of having to take the inhaler with them. They may want to forget they have asthma so they don't have to
worry about the daily dose of it or job of maintaining their health. Sometimes a distrust of a doctor or parent may also stop them from keeping up with
their treatment (Barriers to Asthma Self–Management in Adolescents: Relationships to Psychosocial Factors," n.d.).
I am sure that Tammy has had some of these thoughts. Although as she starts her new school year the best thing

Asthma
As far as asthma goes, triggers for asthma are: allergies, family history (because there is a genetic influence) dust mites, pet dander, dust, cockroaches,
pollen, mold, anything like that, pollutions and factory immetions can trigger some allergies. And often your patient will give you a history of GERD
and exema (especially when they were a kid).
In asthma we have reversible narrowing of the bronchioles. When they narrow they swell, so it gets hyper responsive, the airway tends to remodel,
and they tend to look differently when you look at them. This is due to all the chemical mediators at are released. And because these mediators are
released it is how we look at the meds. Chromin is for you mask cell. Singular is your...show more content...
Yellow, they should take a short acting rescue inhaler. If they are in the red zone they need to go to the ER and call their physician immediately.
They need to get help. It is also good to keep a diary to keep track of what triggers these episodes of asthma attacks.
There is a component of stress involved as well with asthma. So is you get upset you tend to breathe, faster, you get excited and their vessels constrict.
Some complications that can occur with asthma. The meds are the same: albuterol, atrovent, advair, they tend to get the same type of meds. Steroids
with a severe attack, same thing. And if they are a bad asthmatic, or bad enough COPD person they get chronic steroids meaning PO. They are
basically always on steroid inhalers either combo or individual.
The most severe thing they can get is status asthmatics. This is a severe, persistent asthma attack that you can't break. They give them back to back
meds, they give them steroids and they are wheezing, and they are wheezing, and they are wheezing. The pulse ox is dropping, they are getting more
and more SOB, and they are getting more and more fatigued, you can't break the treatments. You might give epinephrine SQ, but one of the things you
need to watch for (as the nurse) is those breath sounds. If you listen to an asthmatic, and you don't hear good air exchange, you want to hear wheezes,
do don't want to hear a quite chest. If their breath sounds change to quite you want to call

Asthma Essay example
Asthma
/
Grant 1
Asthma in a Fitness/School Setting
For some, the agony of asthma may be an affliction only during childhood; for others, the illness persists throughout adulthood. The least fortunate are
those who fall mortal victims. Asthma can kill. Medical science can offer only temporary relief at best. The deviousness of the disease defies almost
all attempts at discovering a cure. Asthma can be mild; it can be devastating. Sometimes the symptoms disappear for many years but surface again with
even greater severity.
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...show more content...
Although children with asthma often avoid physical activity for fear that it will trigger an asthma attack. Studies have shown that regular, moderate
exercise can actually be helpful to children with asthma in addition to controlling weight problems. Lack of exercise can lead to physical
de–conditioning as well as obesity, in turn, can cause asthma to worsen ("Amsterdam News", 1998).
For some asthma sufferers, a proper diet is more than a wishful goal, it's a necessary step in leading a normal life. In addition to common triggers,
food–triggers asthma affect in 6%–8% of asthmatic children but less than 2% of asthmatic adults. Often the triggers is sulfites, sulfite additives or a
food allergen such as milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish or shellfish. Dr. Ron Simon of Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in La
Jolla, CA, stated, "sulfites in or added to food can cause potentially life–threatening reactions for asthmatics ("Medical Information",
1998)." Further research by
Grant 3
Harvard Medical School have found that instead of being a by–product of asthma, extra pounds could make people more vulnerable to developing the
disease ("Tufts Diet," 1998).
Even though physical activity has been found to be beneficial to asthmatics. Exercise–induced asthma have been prevalent in our society. As

Asthma
1. Discuss the pathophysiology of asthma.
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.
2. Discuss the educational points that should be included when...show more content...
Breathing techniques such as inhaling through the nose and breathing out from the mouth slowly can be helpful for a patient to be aware of. Last, the
patient should always have the physician's information if asthma attacks become more frequent or they believe their inhaler to not be helping. 3. What
components of the patient's asthma management plan should be monitored during a home visit?
When visiting an asthmatic patient at home, it is important to monitor their environment. The home is a place where people spend the majority of their
time and therefore can easily contribute to the exacerbation of asthma. While in the home environment, monitoring for mold, dust, pets, cigarette
smoke or plants is important. The cleanliness of the home along with the sleeping environment can be good indicators as to the reasoning behind the
patient's condition. This is a good moment to teach the patient and family members ways to manage asthma based on the home environment.
Explanation as to what irritants are is important. Visiting the home would also be a good time to observe the way in which the patient uses their
inhaler along with other medications they may be using. 4. Explain the stepwise approach and how it is utilized in care of the asthma patient.
The stepwise approach is used to adjust the treatment of asthma. Based on the patient's condition, the medication can either be increased or decreased.
This is known as either

Introduction to Asthma
Asthma is an inflammatory disorder of the airways, which causes attacks of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. There is no
cure for asthma, but most people can control the condition and lead normal, active lives. Different things set off asthma attacks in different people.
Smoke from cigarettes or a fire, air pollution, cold air, pollen, animals, house dust, molds, strong smells such as perfume or bus exhaust, wood dust,
exercise, industrial chemicals all can trigger an attack.
The symptoms of an asthmatic person are cough with or without sputum phlegm production, Shortness of breath that gets worse with exercise or
activity, Pulling in of the skin between the ribs when breathing intercostals retractions,...show more content...
The prevention of asthma symptoms can be substantially reduced by avoiding known triggers and substances that irritate the airways. Bedding can be
covered with "allergy proof" casings to reduce exposure to dust mites. Removing carpets from bedrooms and vaccuuming regularly is also helpful.
Detergents and cleaning materials in the home should be unscented.
Keeping humidity levels low and fixing leaks can reduce growth of organisms such as mold. Keep the house clean and keep food in containers and
out of bedrooms this helps reduce the possibility of cockroaches, which can trigger asthma attacks in some people. If a person is allergic to an animal
that cannot be removed from the home, the animal should be kept out of the patient's bedroom.
Filtering material can be placed over the heating outlets to trap animal dander. Eliminating tobacco smoke from the home is the single most important
thing a family can do to help a child with asthma. Smoking outside the house is not enough. Family members and visitors who smoke carry smoke
residue in and on their clothes and hair this can trigger asthma symptoms. Persons with asthma should also avoid air pollution, industrial dusts, and
other irritating fumes, as much as possible.
The complications of asthma can be severe. Some include as Death, Decreased ability to exercise and take part in other activities. Lack of sleep due to
nighttime symptoms of dealing with asthma. They are permanent changes in the function of the lungs

Essay On Asthma
Introduction – Not double–spaced as required
Asthma is one of the most common health problems in the United States that can not only affect patients' lives, at school or work, but also creates a
significant burden on society. Diagnosis and management of asthma has traditionally been accomplished by clinical, exam, pulmonary function testing
and patients perceived level of symptoms. The key factor in asthma is airway inflammation. Until recently, airway inflammation was very difficult to
evaluate. It usually required invasive procedures that in some instances would not give us a complete answer. Without a knowledge of airway
inflammation, clinicians can over or underestimate the severity of asthma and in turn may not provide the most effective...show more content...
Symptoms can vary from one person to the next, Asthma can be classified as be mild with intermittent symptoms to severe, with persistent symptoms
that can affect a patients everyday life1 Exacerbations can occur at any time and severity of the exacerbation can vary from one exacerbation to the
next.The exact cause of asthma is difficult to know and understand and currently there is no cure. Management of symptoms is the ultimate goal.
Asthma affects approximately 300 million worldwide.2 Asthma can affects people of all ages, ethnicity and income levels.2 In theUnited States the
number of people diagnosed with asthma continues to grow. In 2009, Approximately 24.6 million people had been diagnosed up from 20 million in
2001.2,3 It is estimated that the number of people diagnosed with asthma will continue increase to over 100 million by 2025. 4 There are significant
differences in the prevalence of asthma among different population subgroups. Asthma tends to be more prevalent in female, children, non–hispanic
black, and Puerto Ricans.There is also higher rates of asthma among those whose income is below poverty level and those living in Northeast and

Asthma Essay
Introduction
Asthma is considered as one of the most common chronic and complex respiratory conditions which involve both environmental and genetic factors
(1,2). It is such a condition of the airways presents as constriction of the bronchi and bronchioles in response to irritants. The vascular resistance of
the pulmonary system will increase as constriction leads to a smaller vascular diameter (3,4). The prevalence of the disease is predicted to rise making
it one of the major life–threatening disorders. In the UK, the prevalence of asthma showed an increase two to three fold from 1955 to 2004 (5).
Pharmacological interventions can be used such as bronchodilators. Salbutamol is an example of such a drug that alleviates airway...show more
content...
The plasminogen system works in opposition to clotting factors, which work to create clots of fibrin such as thrombin activatable fibrinolysis
inhibitor. Since pleural tissue is covered in elastic tissue and relies on said tissue for mechanical function, the build up of fibrotic clots can damped the
physiological ability of these tissues (Figure–1). It is the interaction of various immune responses and tissue remodelling that cause further
complications to asthmatic individuals (10).
Figure–1: Fibrin turnover control in pleural disease. Pleural injury is a result of the activation of two similar pathways which are coagulation and
fibrinolysis. The production of tissue factor (TF) is by mesothelial cells. The upregulation of uPA and PAI
–1 by mesothelial cells which can either lead
to the production of plasmin and fibrinolysis when uPA is in inhibition or excess of the production of plasmin and prevention of fibrinolysis when
PAI–1 is in excess. The uPA–uPAR binding will resists irreversible interaction by plasminogen activators inhibitors (10)
The urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is a cell surface protein that promotes extracellular proteolysis by mediating plasminogen
activation (12). It also plays a crucial role in the serine protease plasmin formation by interacting with urokinase plasminogen activator (13). The uPAR
gene is located on chromosome

Essay on Asthma
Asthma is a disorder of the respiratory system in which the passages that enable air to pass into and out of the lungs periodically narrow, causing
coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. This narrowing is typically temporary and reversible, but in severe attacks, asthma may result in death.
Asthma most commonly refers to bronchial asthma, an inflammation of the airways, but the term is also used to refer to cardiac asthma, which
develops when fluid builds up in the lungs as a complication of heart failure. This article focuses on bronchial asthma.
More than 17 million Americans suffer from asthma, with nearly 5 million cases occurring in children under age 18. In the United States, asthma
causes nearly 5,500 deaths each year. Asthma...show more content...
Asthma Attacks
Asthma attacks occur when the bronchi and bronchioles become inflamed, reducing the space through which air can travel through the lungs. This
causes the asthmatic to work harder to move air in and out of the lungs. Asthma attacks usually begin with mild chest pressure and a dry cough. As an
attack intensifies, wheezing develops and increases in pitch; breathing becomes difficult; and coughing produces thick, stringy mucus. As the airway
inflammation prevents some of the oxygen–rich air from reaching the alveoli, the cells of the body start to burn oxygen at a higher rate, actually
increasing the body's demand for oxygen. The frequency of asthma attacks varies considerably among asthma suffers. Some people have daily attacks,
while others can go months or even years without having an attack.
Inflammation of the airway occurs when an irritant–such as pet hair or cigarette smoke–comes into contact with the airway walls. Upon detecting the
irritant as a harmful invader, the body's immune system sends special cells known as mast cells to the site of irritation, in this case the airway walls.
The mast cells release histamine, a chemical that causes swelling and redness in a process called the inflammatory response. Histamine also causes
bronchospasms, in which the muscles lining the airway walls contract repeatedly, causing the airways to narrow even more. In addition, cells that
lubricate the airways with mucus–called

Essay On Asthma
Asthma
Pathology a paroxysmal, often allergic disorder of respiration, characterized by bronchospasm, wheezing, and difficulty in expiration, often
accompanied by coughing and feeling of constriction in the chest. Also called bronchial asthma. Asthma is a chronic condition, and there is no cure for
it. You can consult with your doctor about how to manage it. Knowing as much as you can about the condition, can help you understand how to live
with it. Asthma affects people of all ages, more than 22 million people are known to have asthma, and about 6 million are childrenSigns and symptoms
of asthma is shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing chest tightness. People that have allergies, eczema, or parents that have asthma are more at risk.
In children more boys have asthma than girls, but in adults more women have it than men. You want to make sure to get a lung function test done to
determine if you have asthma for sure. The symptoms are the same as to other things also, such as the flu or pneumonia.
The cause of asthma is known. Some researchers think genetic and environmental factors interact to cause asthma. For example, if asthma or atopy runs
in the family, exposer to irritants may make your airways more...show more content...
Your doctor may diagnose the condition based on your medical and family histories, a physical exam, and some test results. The doctor will also find
out the severity of your asthma, such as intermittent, mild, moderate or severe. The levels will determine what treatment is best to use. You might
need to see an asthma specialist if you need special test to help with diagnosing you have asthma, had a life threatening asthma attack, if you want to
get allergy treatments, or if you need more than one medication or higher doses to control your asthma, or if you can't seem to get your asthma under
control. Your doctor may ask you a few questions. Be sure to let them know how often, when and where your asthma symptoms

Asthma Essay on Breathing Challenges

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Asthma Essay on Breathing Challenges