Asthma Essay

1465 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Asthma case study and action plan essay

In the 21st Century, there is a major advance in technology; a lot more diseases can be treated by medicines and anti-biotic. In the history of diseases, most continents have suffered massive pandemics, however, Oceania is an exception. Australia has never suffered from major diseases such as Black Death, S.A.R.S, etc. However, chronic illness is a growing problem in Australia as the population ages. The research process is mainly from online websites. The data and information collected will be from government health, asthma foundation and national health websites. The websites are carefully picked to prevent incorrect or biased data. Websites such as Wikipedia or personal blogs will be prevented as much as possible. Chronic disease is a human health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long lasting in its effects. Examples of chronic diseases are diabetes, heart disease, cancers, arthritis and obesity. One controversial chronic disease is asthma, some say that it is treatable; some say that it can only be controlled but not fully cured. In a health encyclopedia, it says that the goal of treatment is to avoid the substances that trigger your symptoms and control airway inflammation. From this definition, there is a difference in the word “control” and “cure”, if asthma can be controlled, does that mean asthma can be completely cured? The hypothesis for the research is that asthma can be completely cured, because if asthma can be controlled, it is as good as being cured. [1] According to the American Lung Association, in 2007 about 34.1 million Americans, including 9 million children, were diagnosed with asthma during their lifetime. In Australia, there are a total of around 2 million people who had asthma; this ... ... middle of paper ... ... is called Ventolin Inhalers, also known as Albuterol Inhalers. Approximately 90% of the fast-acting inhalers contain a medicine called albuterol. Albuterol Inhalers relieve bronchospasm. (An abnormal contraction of the smooth muscle of the bronchi resulting in an acute narrowing and obstruction of the respiratory airway.) The medicine will quickly open up the airways in the lungs so breathing will be more easily. In conclusion, asthma can be cured, because if the patient takes medicine daily and follow the Asthma Action Plan. He/she will have drastically decreased chance of receiving an asthma attack. Even though most patients who suffered asthma are long-term, controlling the inflammation through medicines can allow them to be safe from asthma, and if we can control asthma, it is as good as being cured. Wherefore, the hypothesis that asthma can be cured is valid.

Show More
Related

  • Nursing Case Study: Chronic Obstructive Disease

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is a group of progressive lung diseases that block airflow and make it hard to breathe. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the most common types of COPD (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2016, p 557). Primary symptoms include coughing, mucus, chest pain, shortness of breath, and wheezing (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2016, p.557). COPD develops slowly and worsens over time if not treated during early stages. The disease has no cure, but medication and disease management can slow its progress and make one feel better (NIH, 2013)

    Read More

  • Asthma Essay

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    As modern medical research begins to discover the deep-rooted genetic and environmental origins of many chronic diseases and illnesses, researchers have began to realize the complexity of illnesses that plague mankind. One prevalent disease among humans is Asthma, a chronic lung disease that irritates and tightens the airways, resulting in reocurring periods of coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Asthma’s phenotypic range does not follow the relative simplicity of Mendelian genetics, but is rather rooted in multiple genes, such as Interleukin-13 (IL-13), and specific environmental exposures such as air pollution.

    Read More

  • Copd Research Paper

    404 Words  | 1 Pages

    Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the obstruction of airflow in the lungs that is not reversible. COPD includes chronic bronchitis, which is the chronic inflammation of the bronchioles where extra fluids are produced as well as a cough, and emphysema, which is larger air spaces in the lungs due to loss of airway walls. About one in every twenty patients will have COPD, with 70% of them being above the age of 45. Typically, the main cause of COPD is smoking, which accounts for nearly 90% of all COPD related deaths. The inhaled smoke irritates the mucosa of the lungs, which causes inflammation that then damages the mucosa and blocks airways. It is not a one-time cause and effect, but happens over periods of time and exposure. The more exposure, the more likely/severe the disease will appear. COPD is characterized by a chronic cough, large amounts of sputum production, and difficulty breathing that gets worse during exercise. There is no cure for COPD, but it is possible to decrease progression by ridding of irritants like by quitting smoking. Inhaled bronchodilators are used to help manage the disease and they help by reducing mucus production and relaxing smooth muscles of the lungs.

    Read More

  • Asthma

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    Asthma is a serious ongoing disease that affects the airways of both adults and children.5 It is a type of inflammatory disease in your lungs with multiple triggers which may include the flu, indoor allergies, pets, dust mites, exercise, and tobacco smoke. Asthma has been recognized since ancient Egyptian times. Researchers found prescriptions written in hieroglyphics. Aretaus of Cappadonia an ancient Greek master clinician wrote the initial clinical description of asthma. Aaezein is the Greek word from which the current medical term Asthma come. The original Greek term mean ' sharp breath'. There are many people who have this chronic disease. Approximately 7.1 million children are diagnosed, and 18.9 million adults; 8.2 percent of the population of the United States.

    Read More

  • Australia Vaccination Essay

    432 Words  | 1 Pages

    Adults are generally the initial start for epidemics as they have the highest degree of infections and illness, so they may transfer the illness or infection onto the people around them. The government offer free vaccines for influenza, pneumonical pnuemonia and shingles for adults over 65 years of age, as for those with fundamental medical conditions, indigenous people who are over the age of 15, and pregnant woman have access to only selected vaccines funded by the government. Research displays that only 51% of elederly Australians adults accept all government-funded immunizations each year, in comparison to 93 % of Australian childeren. Coverage in qualified high-risk groups is minor; people with a health or work-related risk factor who do receive their yearly influenza vaccine is only rougly 40%. Only about 13% of indigenous young adults who have a medical risk factor accept their pnuemonical injection. Most migrants, refugees and travellers coming into Australia are generally at high risk of catching an infection or spreading one

    Read More

  • asthma

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most of you may not think of asthma as a killer disease, yet more that 5,000 Americans die of asthma each year. According to the Mayo Clinic web page, asthma also accounts for more that 400,000 hospital discharges annually. As the number of people with asthma increases, the more likely you are to come in contact with a person who has the disease. As far as I can remember, I have had asthma my whole life. My mother and one of my sisters also have asthma, so I have a first hand experience with it. This morning, I will discuss some interesting facts about asthma, I will specifically focus on what it is, warning signs, symptoms, causes, and the treatments that are used.

    Read More

  • High Risk Groups In Australia

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    These high rates of disease were due to lack of exposure and immunity in the early period of European colonisation. Recently, poor standards of living and access to water, housing and health care have contributed to their high rates of obtaining infectious diseases. Universal vaccination programs for VPDs had recently improved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child mortality and shown excellent disease control. Other VPDs such as invasive pneumococcal disease and influenza still remain a major cause of death in Indigenous people.[2] Therefore, targeted vaccination programs have shown to decrease health disparities.

    Read More

  • Asthma Research Paper

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine you are out to lunch one day with your son and someone lights up a cigarette. All of a sudden you notice that your child is not breathing properly, he begins to wheeze, and tells you that he feels like he cannot breathe, and his chest feels tight. You and your son are rush to the nearest emergency, where the doctors discovers that your son has just had an asthma attack triggered by the cigarette smoke. Asthma is condition that affects the lungs. The airways of the lungs swell and the muscles in surrounding airways tighten, leading to a decrease of the flow of air that is able to get to the lungs. Signs and symptoms of asthma include but are not limited to: shortness of breath, tightening of the chest, wheezing, and coughing. Asthma is lifelong condition that can be treated a controlled through a variety of ways. One way to treat an asthma attack with an inhaled cortical steroid, this is a long term treatment. Other forms of long term treatment are long-acting bronchodilators, Leukortriene inhibitors, and Cromolyn sodium. In a national survey conducted in 2012 states that 14% or approximately 10 million U.S children have been diagnosed with asthma. According to an article published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, asthma is the leading chronic illness among

    Read More

  • Vaccination Persuasive Essay

    671 Words  | 2 Pages

    As Australians today, we are all very fortunate in being able to live in a highly developed society, given the advantage of receiving numerous health care benefits, most notably vaccinations.

    Read More

  • Chronic Bronchitis Essay

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chronic bronchitis is a disorder that causes inflammation to the airway, mainly the bronchial tubules. It produces a chronic cough that lasts three consecutive months for more than two successive years (Vijayan,2013). Chronic Bronchitis is a member of the COPD family and is prominently seen in cigarette smokers. Other factors such as air pollutants, Asbestos, and working in coal mines contributes to inflammation. Once the irritant comes in contact with the mucosa of the bronchi it alters the composition causing hyperplasia of the glands and producing excessive sputum (Viayan,2013). Goblet cells also enlarge to contribute to the excessive secretion of sputum. This effects the cilia that carry out the mechanism of trapping foreign bodies to allow it to be expelled in the sputum, which are now damaged by the irritant making it impossible for the person to clear their airway. Since the mechanism of airway clearance is ineffective, the secretion builds up a thickened wall of the bronchioles causing constriction and increasing the work of breathing. The excessive build up of mucous could set up pneumonia. The alveoli are also damaged enabling the macrophages to eliminate bacteria putting the patient at risk for acquiring an infection.

    Read More

  • Extrinsic Asthma In The United States

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    A person who experiences perpetual shortness of breath or hears a whistle-like sound in their chest when they breathe, is more than likely to have asthma. Asthma is a chronic disease/condition in which the airways in a person’s body are inflamed and produce extra mucus, which makes breathing troublesome. In addition, the bronchial tubes, passageways that allow air to enter the lungs and come back out, are narrowed, which makes it even more difficult to breathe. Breathing is essential for humans to survive and carries out important functions in our bodies. This disease is very common in the United States, about 1 in 12 people (about 25 million) have asthma, and the numbers are increasing every year.

    Read More

  • Asthma Essay

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    Asthma is a disease that currently has no cure and can only be controlled and managed through different treatment methods. If asthma is treated well it can prevent the flare up of symptoms such as coughing, diminish the dependence on quick relief medication, and help to minimize asthma attacks. One of the key factors to successful treatment of asthma is the creation of an asthma action plan with the help of a doctor that outlines medications and other tasks to help control the patient’s asthma ("How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?"). The amount of treatment changes based on the severity of the asthma when it is first diagnosed and may be the dosage may be increased or decreased depending on how under control the patient’s asthma is. One of the main ways that asthma can be controlled is by becoming aware of the things that trigger attacks. For instance staying away from allergens such as pollen, animal fur, and air pollution can help minimize and manage the symptoms associated with asthma. Also if it is not possible to avoid the allergens that cause a patient’s asthma to flare up, they may need to see an allergist. These health professionals can help diagnosis what may need to be done in other forms of treatment such as allergy shots that can help decrease the severity of the asthma ("How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?").

    Read More

  • Asthma Exercise

    3477 Words  | 7 Pages

    Asthma incidence has risen steadily over the past 20 years and directly impacts the lives of millions (U.S.EPA, 2013). Currently, there are about 23 million people, including 7 million children affected by asthma (U.S.EPA, 2014). The Centers for Disease Control indicate an asthma prevalence rate of 8.4% in the United States (CDC, 2011). Additionally, asthma accounts for approximately 500,000 hospitalizations annually. It is also the third highest cause of hospitalization among children under 15. As asthma incidence continue to rise, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) estimate the number of people with asthma to grow more than 100 million by 2025 (U.S.EPA, 2014).

    Read More

  • Health Care In Australia Essay

    619 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Australia, chronic illness poses serious threats to the health and wellbeing of individuals. Chronic illnesses are responsible for almost 80% of the total burden of disease and injury experienced in Australia (Aspin et al 2010). Despite a reduction in the burden of illness caused by some chronic illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease and COPD, not all chronic illnesses are experiencing this improvement and as a result, the burden of illness continues to be rise.(Aspin et al 2010). Example, the increasing ageing population are seeing more people being exposed to chronic illness risk factors due to individuals in the community living longer (Henderson 2013).

    Read More

  • Attack Asthma Case Study

    317 Words  | 1 Pages

    Methods: Initially, we will implement a pilot program at Burke Elementary School in Washington Park. A partnership will be established between the Respiratory Health Association (RHA) and Burke Elementary to make asthma

    Read More

More about Asthma Essay

Open Document