Asthma Pathophysiology

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Asthma Pathophysiology

Asthma is the leading cause of chronic illness in children and is responsible for nearly 10% of the Emergency Room visits for children <15 year of age. It occurs in as many as 10%-12% of children in the United States and is gradually growing. Asthma can begin at any age , but most children have their first symptoms by age five. Because Camp Wapiti is for children ages 8-13 exclusively, this report will focus primarily on childhood asthma.

Asthma itself is an inflammatory disease characterized by increased airway responsiveness due to a variety of stimulus. The inflammation causes the hyper-responsiveness than in turn causes bronchiolar smooth muscle constriction, resulting in obstruction of airflow. Some “triggers” of asthma include:

1) Allergens (pollen, mold etc.)

2) Exercise

3) Infection (respiratory)

4) Occupational

5) Environmental

6) Food/Drugs (Xenobiotics)

Bronchial hyperactivity/inflammation is the distinguishing trait of asthma and is responsible for both diagnosis and treatment. Early onset reaction is due to mast cell degranulation and release of inflammatory mediators. Onset is near immediate and lasts 0.5-2 hours. Late phase response is due to persistent inflammation that perpetuates bronchial hyperactivity. Onset is in 4-6 hours and lasts 12-24 hours. Inflammatory mediators are due to mast cells and eosinophils causing an inflammatory response to promote airway edema, mucus secretion, and bronchospasm. When the airways react, the muscles around them tighten. This causes the airways to narrow, and less air flows to your lungs. The swelling also can worsen, making the airways even narrower. Cells in the airways may make more mucus than normal that can further narrow your a...

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... what is going through a child’s mind when they are told they have asthma or that they need to stop to use their inhaler. They have understandably poor health comprehension and I know that we, as pharmacists must work around this. I feel that I now have the ability to sit down with a child and have a decent conversation with him/her about the disease and help to find the best way to control their symptoms.

Works Cited

National Hospital Discharge Survey, United States, 2005. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report July 20, 2007; 56(28):713

WebMD info on Childhood Asthma : http://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/children-asthma

The Merck Manual: Pulmonary Disorders - Asthma

Lecture Notes from Dr. David Young

Ober C, Hoffjan S. Asthma genetics 2006: the long and winding road to gene discovery. Genes Immun. 2006 Mar;7(2):95-100.

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