Verified Document

Understanding And Managing Asthma Essay

ASTHMA Etiology of Asthma

Asthma is an inflammatory disease that influences the airways featured by recurring and variable symptoms, bronchospasm, and reversible airflow obstruction. Some of the symptoms of the diseases include coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, and chest tightness. Asthma is perceived to be because of environmental and genetic factors. The diagnosis of the disease is based on patterns of symptoms and response to therapy with time. The clinical classification is based on frequency of symptoms and forced expiratory volume in each second (FEV1) as well as the peak flow for the expiratory rates (Clark, 2010). Asthma is also classified as one of the non-atopic (intrinsic) or atopic (extrinsic) elements. Atopy refers to a predisposition to the development of hypersensitivity reactions in the type 1 category.

Treatment of most acute symptoms involves usage of inhaled beta-2 agonist that is short acting such as oral corticosteroids and salbutamol. In severe cases, magnesium sulfate, hospitalization, and intravenous corticosteroids are required. Symptoms are prevented through avoidance of triggers including irritants and allergens as well as the continued use of prescribed inhaled corticosteroids. The long-acting beta agonists and anti-leukotriene agents (CysLT antagonists or arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors) that are used for purposes...

Smoking in times of pregnancy as well as after delivery is linked to greater asthma-like risk symptoms. Lower air quantities of factors of high ozone or traffic pollution levels lead to elements of increased asthma severity and asthma development (Douglas & Elward, 2010). Hygiene hypothesis explains the high rates of asthma across the world as unintended and direct outcomes of reduced exposure to non-pathogenic viruses and bacteria during childhood.
The theory proposes that the scope of reduction of exposure to viruses and bacteria is in part, due to the increased levels of cleanliness as well as the decreased family sizes of modern societies. The atopic eczema triad is based on asthma and allergic rhinitis popular as atopy (Clark, 2010). The major risk factors for advancement of asthma includes the history of atopic diseases based on asthma that happens at greater rates than those that are either on hay fever or eczema. Asthma is also associated with the Churg -- Strauss syndrome that is an autoimmune vasculitis and disease. People with distinct forms of urticaria experience…

Sources used in this document:
References

Clark, M.V. (2010). Asthma: A Clinician's Guide. New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Douglas, J.G., & Elward, K.S. (2010). Asthma: Clinician's Desk Reference. New York: CRC Press.

Murphy, W. (2011). Asthma. New York: Twenty-First Century Books.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Asthma and Children in the US
Words: 3032 Length: 10 Document Type: Research Paper

Childhood Asthma The word asthma comes from the Greek word aazein which means to exhale with one's mouth open or to breathe with a pant; in literature its first emergence appears in the Illiad (Benson & Haith, 34). The exact definition of asthma be it with children or adults is that it is "a chronic disease of the lung manifest clinically as episodic obstruction of pulmonary airflow (Benson & Haith, 34).

Asthma Sufferers Can Manage Their
Words: 1450 Length: 5 Document Type: Thesis

Amazingly, some caregivers and parents tend to ignore the need for asthma management, and do not see their child's condition as serious or chronic. A group of writers note, "The resistance to the concept of asthma as a chronic illness may be linked to the fact that a majority of the children had symptoms consistent with mild, intermittent asthma, which caregivers interpreted as contradictory to the concept of chronic" (Nelson,

Understanding Asthma From a Pharmacological Perspective
Words: 4026 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Pathopharmacological Foundation Asthma Analyze the Pathophysiology of Asthma The complex chronic inflammatory disease known as asthma, involves several inflammatory cells, more than a hundred distinct mediators of inflammation, and various inflammatory outcomes, such as plasma exudation, broncho-constriction, activation of the sensory nerves, and hyper-secretion of mucus. Mast cells contribute immensely to mediation of acute symptoms of asthma; on the other hand, T-helper 2 cells, eosinophils, and macrophages are factors that cause airway hyper

Asthma
Words: 2131 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

Essay Topic Examples 1. The Epidemiology of Asthma: Patterns and Influences:     This essay could explore the prevalence, incidence, and distribution of asthma among different populations globally and how factors like genetics, environment, and lifestyle contribute to these patterns. 2. Asthma Triggers and Environmental Control:     A detailed discussion on the various asthma triggers such as allergens, air pollution, and weather changes, and strategies for minimizing exposure to these triggers to help control asthma symptoms. 3. The

Asthma Management Plan: Case Study
Words: 3872 Length: 12 Document Type: Case Study

Indeed, interaction with the patient on this point would demonstrate a very poor inhalant technique, a factor which the physician failed to consider before increasing the patient's dosage. Additionally, the physician failed to check concordance with respect to the patient's history of medicine use. This might have revealed some shortcoming in the subject's own methods of self-administering medication, including inconsistent usage and occasionally skipped doses. A useful instrument for

Asthma Research on Medline Using
Words: 619 Length: 2 Document Type: Thesis

52.8% did not know how to use their inhalers properly, and almost all patients did not take their prescribed asthma medication. This study shows a strong correlation between ignorance and a lack of control of asthma symptoms. The second study by Ulrik et al. (2009), "Disease variability in asthma: how do the patients respond? -- and why?" from the Journal of Asthma was to explore patterns of self-management in adult

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now