Chronic Asthma And Acute Asthma Axacerbation Essay
Chronic Asthma And Acute Asthma Axacerbation Essay
Review “Asthma” in Chapter 27 of the Huether and McCance text. Identify the pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic asthma and acute asthma exacerbation. Consider how these disorders are similar and different.
Select a patient factor different from the one you selected in this week’s Discussion: genetics, gender, ethnicity, age, or behavior. Think about how the factor you selected might impact the pathophysiology of both disorders. Reflect on how you would diagnose and prescribe treatment of these disorders for a patient based on the factor you selected.
Review the “Mind maps—Dementia, Endocarditis, and Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)” media in the Week 2 Learning Resources. Use the examples in the media as a guide to construct two mind maps—one for chronic asthma and one for acute asthma exacerbation. Chronic Asthma And Acute Asthma Axacerbation Essay. Consider the epidemiology and clinical presentation of both chronic asthma and acute asthma exacerbation.
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To Complete
Write a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses the following:
Describe the pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic asthma and acute asthma exacerbation. Be sure to explain the changes in the arterial blood gas patterns during an exacerbation.
Explain how the factor you selected might impact the pathophysiology of both disorders. Describe how you would diagnose and prescribe treatment for a patient based on the factor you selected.
Construct two mind maps—one for chronic asthma and one for acute asthma exacerbation. Include the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical presentation, as well as the diagnosis and treatment you explained in your paper.
As Jane was presenting with a symptom of a life threatening event it was important that treatment was immediate. Priority was initially made from assessment of the airways, breathing and circulation, level of consciousness and pain. Jane’s respirations on admission were recorded at a rate of 28 breaths per minute, she looked cyanosed. Jane’s other clinical observations recorded a heart rate of 105 beats per minute (sinus tachycardia), blood pressure (BP) of 140/85 and oxygen saturation (SPO2) on room air 87%. It is important to establish a base line so that the nurse is altered to sudden deterioration in the patient’s clinical condition. Jane’s PEWS score (Physiological Early Warning Score) was 4 and indicated a need for urgent medical attention (BTS 2006). Breathing was the most obvious issue and was the immediate priority. Jane’s asthma was acute severe. Initially to alleviate some of Jane’s breathlessness she was sat up right in the bed and supported with pillows to improve air entry. Due to her low oxygen saturations she was placed on 40% oxygen via Hudson mask (BTS 2006), as Jane was mouth breathing the mask was the appropriate device to use to ensure adequate oxygenation (Walsh 2002). According to Inwald et al (2001) hypoxemia is frequently a primary cause in numerous asthma related deaths. By administering oxygen promptly, for acute severe asthma, serious hypoxemia. Chronic Asthma And Acute Asthma Axacerbation Essay.
Asthma creates difficulties in breathing for millions of people across the world. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, and chest stiffness. Asthma may be acute or chronic. For one to glean what causes asthma and its symptoms, it helps to know how the airways function. These tubes carry air into and out of the lungs. For asthma patients, the airways inflame. This makes air tube swollen and extremely sensitive. Because of this, they tend to react to substances the person inhales. The reaction of airways makes the muscles around them to tighten. This narrows the trachea allowing little air to pass into the lungs. The swelling may worsen making the airways narrower than before the condition. Cells in the airway tend to produce more mucus that when a person does not have asthma (Holgate, 2011). This further increases the narrowing of airways. The chain reaction results in asthma symptoms. This paper will analyze the symptoms and factors that impact on asthma. The paper will also discuss the pathophysiological mechanism of chronic asthma and acute asthma exacerbation.
The pathophysiology mechanisms of chronic and acute asthma exacerbation are complex and involve airway inflammation, intermittent airflow obstruction, and bronchial hyperactive responsiveness (Huether & McCance, 2012). Asthma is an inflammatory illness that involves a range of cellular and cytokine mechanisms of tissue destruction. Sometimes the inflammations of bronchial wall cause sudden death in patients of asthma. This is usually in severe cases where the inflammation prevents air from reaching the lungs resulting in a patient’s sudden death. Asthma exacerbations refer to exaggerated lower airway reactions to substances in the environment. Chronic Asthma And Acute Asthma Axacerbation Essay. Respiratory virus is the most common form of substances in the environment that cause asthma exacerbation. Airways’ inflammation is a significant part of the lower airway response to asthma exacerbation. This comes together with airflow obstruction and increased airway sensitivity. The pattern of inflammation varies depending on the factor responsible for the exacerbation. Health specialists are yet to identify the actual reasons for exacerbated airway response.
Analysis of arterial blood gases patterns during an exacerbation is helpful in asthma management. During the first stages, of an exacerbation arterial blood gases show mild hypercapnia, hypoxemia and respiratory alkalosis. If the situation lasts for some time, there may be some compensatory renal bicarbonate secretion, which manifests as a non-anion-gap metabolic acidosis (Huether & McCance, 2012). As the severity of airflow obstruction increases, arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2) first normalizes and subsequently increases because of patient’s exhaustion, inadequate alveolar ventilation and/or an increase in physiologic death space (Pauwels, et al, 2012).
Several factors affect the pathophysiology of both chronic and acute asthma. Behaviors of people are a major influence on the pathophysiology of asthma. Behaviors such as smoking exercising trigger the disease. This is because such behaviors increase the chances of developing lung infections and breathing disorders. Smoking tobacco leads to lung problems and trachea issues. This reduces the amount of air that reaches the lungs and as a result, aggravating asthma. Lack of enough air getting into and leaving the lungs is one of the causes of asthma. Lack of exercise on the other hand, encourages the development of a layer of fat in the body organs including the airways.Chronic Asthma And Acute Asthma Axacerbation Essay. This narrows the airways and as a result, reduces air entering the lungs. Diagnosing asthma especially because of the behavior factor is tricky. One has to rule out any other cause and symptoms (Rees, Kanabar & Pattani, 2012). This will involve asking the patient about his background to ascertain that asthma is not because of genetic factors. Ask of the symptoms to determine the level of severity and then rule out any other possibility. Patients of asthma have different symptom pattern, which makes it difficult to identify the condition. For exercise-induced asthma, such people will develop asthma after rigorous exercises. The doctor can prescribe medication to ease the tightening of airways before exercising. For smoking, the best prescription is to stop smoking and use medications that eliminate the urge to smoke (Barnes, 2008).
Below are acute and chronic asthma mind maps. The mind maps show the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and diagnosis as well as treatment options of the two diseases. Chronic Asthma And Acute Asthma Axacerbation Essay.
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Acute Asthma Mind Map
Chronic Asthma Mind Map
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In conclusion, asthma kills many children and adults every year throughout the world. This makes it essential for one to understand the development, causes, and diagnosis of asthma. The fact that health practitioners do not know of any cause of the disease makes it difficult for them to treat it. The symptoms also differ from patient to patient further aggravating the situation. Chronic Asthma And Acute Asthma Axacerbation Essay.
