Asthma Case Summary

The respiratory system works in a way that organs in the body are responsible for taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. One major organ is the lungs; it carries out the exchange of gas as we breathe. During the process of breathing, the mechanism can be obstructed in different ways and that can result in inflammation of the lungs. Different diseases are being generated due to inflammation of the lungs but my case study is on Asthma. Based on the summary of Urata Yoshida, “Asthma is a disease that involves inflammation of the lungs which directly affects the airway and obstructs airflow in and out of the lungs”. (Respir Med. 2002). Majority of the time, asthma starts at a young age more like my case study about 17 years old girl called

Air flows through the nose or mouth, down the throat toward the voice box and goes down the tracheal. Air continues until it finally gets to the air sac called the alveoli where oxygen is taken in to the blood. The air we breathe comprises of many tiny particles that must be removed before the air reaches the air sacs located deep in the lungs. “Dirty particles are partly cleaned by the hairs in the nostrils, and located in the airways are glands which produce sticky fluid called mucus” (UF 2015 URL). This mucus hides the airway by trapping dirt and germs found in it, the tiny broom-like structures called the cilia, clears the dirty mucus from the airways. This sweeps the mucus up near the throat where it can be spit out. Hydration also plays an important role in the lungs. If the air breathe in is too dry, it can damage the tiny sacs in the lungs. Thus, the air must be made moist by absorbing water. Normal lung function is also very vital with the breathing mechanism. The chest contains two lungs and is protected by the ribcage. The purpose of the lungs is to bring oxygen into the body which provides the body with energy, and the removal of carbon dioxide which is considered the waste product of the body. When asthma occurs, it affects the respiratory system, causing a contraction and tightening of the tracheal openings and inflammation of the mucus lining. A summary from Gorman, Christine states that “infection introduced into the body through bronchial passage causes the body to respond by activating defense cells from the immune system. Thus, causing the airways to be inflamed and contracting the surrounding muscles” (P.61-62). An asthmatic patient has airways that are much more sensitive and responsive than airways of a normal person. They tend to become irritated very easily, making the functions of the airways and mucus glands to become hyperactive. When an individual with