WHAT IS ASTHMA?
Asthma is a heterogenous disorder that is characterized by variable airflow obstruction, airway inflammation, and hyperresponsiveness, and reversibility, either spontaneously, or as a result of treatment. It is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. It affects people of all ages, but it most often starts during childhood. During an asthma attack, the lining of the bronchial tubes swell, causing the airways to narrow and reducing the flow of air into and out of the lungs. Recurrent asthma symptoms frequently cause sleeplessness, daytime fatigue, reduced activity levels and school and work absenteeism. Asthma
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Bacterial or viral infections, often upper respiratory, can provoke an attack, ascan cigarette smoke and strong odors such as perfume, paint or chemicals. The changing of seasons, bringing with it, temperature change and tree and grass pollen, can trigger episodes. While the symptoms described above are typical indicators of asthma, not allpeople suffer in the same way. Research shows that some people may have the coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, while others may have a different combination of the symptoms at different …show more content…
Some are mild and generally more common, while some episodes are more serious. The life-threatening attacks may be less common, but they also may last longer in length and require emergency medical care. One important way to manage asthma is by getting to know the early warning signs and symptoms. Early signs of asthma come just before the beginning of an asthma attack. They are subtle changes that warn a person that his or her asthma is getting worse. While they are not serious enough to disrupt everyday activities, by recognizing these warning symptoms, an attack can be prevented: frequent coughing at night; shortness of breath; feeling weak during exercise followed by wheezing and coughing; moodiness; trouble sleeping; and signs of allergies or an upper respiratory infection. If those early symptoms are not treated, an asthma attack can come on quickly. Once these signs appear - a nagging cough, wheezing and tightness in the chest; and poor response to medicines - daily activities may be more difficult to perform. If these more severe symptoms are ignored, a person with asthma may enter what is known as the "Red Zone," at which time an emergency asthma action plan must be initiated in order to save the person's life. All of these factors - bronchospasm, inflammation, and mucus production -cause symptoms of an asthma attack such as difficulty breathing,
First of all, people may feel anxious when they suddenly have an asthma attack. It is a quite frightening experience because people with asthma have very sensitive airways. If something irritates the airways of a person with asthma, the airways become red and swollen, and this may be even more difficult for air to pass through the airways into the alveoli and out again . People became breathless and breathed more frequently that make them feel more anxious.
Asthma is a disorder that interferes with the lungs and the airways to the lungs. It causes attacks of wheezing and difficult breathing. An asthma attack occurs when the airways respond to some kind of trigger, Some examples of triggers for Asthma attacks are dust, mold, pets, exercise, cold weather, and some attacks start for no known reason. The triggers may irritate the airways to the lungs, allowing disease-fighting cells to build up and causing the lungs to swell up. In addition, the airways could get blocked when the muscles surrounding the lungs tighten. This keeps air from circulating freely in the lungs. Or, mucus may clog and narrow the airways in the lungs, making breathing even more difficult.
"Asthma is a pulmonary disease with the following characteristics: 1) airway obstruction that is reversible in most patients either spontaneously or with treatment; 2) airway inflammation; and 3) increased airway responsiveness to a variety of stimuli" (Enright, 1996, p. 375). There presently exist many varieties of asthma that differ in the severity, means of induction, and methods of treatment. One type is exercise-induced asthma. "Exercise-induced asthma (EIA) is a temporary increase in airway resistance and acute narrowing of the airway that occurs after several minutes of strenuous exercise, usually after the exercise had ceased" (Spector, 1993, p. 571). Perfectly healthy individuals with no history of asthma or allergies can experience EIA. EIA can be found in 5.6%-25% of the general population and in 40%-90% of asthmatics (Randolph, 1997). EIA has been recognized for over 300 years, but only recently have it's pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment been studied in detail.
The practical application of healthcare system requires certain type of training and ability of an individual to work in that particular setting; moreover, these training modules, which are available for nurses, are primarily for the purpose of enhancing the quality of work, satisfaction and quality of treatment. The role of a Registered Nurse cannot be neglected in the provision of quality and safe care to patients and adopt procedures adequate for the condition of the patients because they work at the front line level. Registered Nurses have direct dealing with patients and integration of personal and professional skills is necessary. Therefore, there are certain attributes that are necessary to be present in a Registered Nurse for accurately performing various tasks. These include; Workload management, leadership qualities, control of practice, professional development, communication and organizational loyalty (Daly & Carnwell 2003, pp. 158-167). These attributes hold significance in terms of obtaining positive outcome for not only the Registered Nurse but also the organization and the patient. Workload should be managed in such a way that the care process is not affected. Registered Nurse should have leadership qualities to help, motivate and inspire other nurses. Similarly, a Registered nurse should also enable and promote learning opportunities for other nurses. A Registered Nurse has responsibilities towards the subordinates, patients and most importantly to the organization. The code of ethics and principles of practice must be followed and the practice of the nurse should be in the line of the organization’s working principles. The responsibility should be met as accountability f...
Asthma is a result of chronic inflammation of those airways and tubes that supply air to the lungs. It may be cause due to
Asthma is chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by recurring episodes of wheeling and breathlessness. It often exists with allergies and can be worsened through exposure to allergens. In fact, asthma is complicated syndromes that have neither single definition nor complete explanation to the point. In light of its treatment, it is worthwhile to notice that asthma cannot be cured, instead can be only managed by avoiding exposure to allergens and/or by using medications regularly.
Asthma is a heterogeneous chronic disease sited on chromosome 5 (5q31). [1, 2] There are about 100 genes linked to asthma. These genes handle the immune system and inflammation [3]. One gene known as DENND1B, causes an increased amount of the molecule cytokine to be released. [4] Cytokine is the motive for the symptoms of asthma to arise. Asthma is affected by several genetic and environmental factors that can cause life-threatening complications to occur for the people who have this disease.
Asthma is a disorder of the respiratory system in which the passages that enable air to pass into and out of the lungs periodically narrow, causing coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. This narrowing is typically temporary and reversible, but in severe attacks, asthma may result in death. Asthma most commonly refers to bronchial asthma, an inflammation of the airways, but the term is also used to refer to cardiac asthma, which develops when fluid builds up in the lungs as a complication of heart failure. This article focuses on bronchial asthma.
An asthma attack has many effects on the body. Asthma affects the body by limiting the flow of air into the lungs. It causes airway inflammation, bronchial restriction and irregular airway obstruction. Airway inflammation is how the body reacts to something that is irritating the airways. When happening your lungs begin swelling, your breathing passageway becomes restricted and mucus is secreted. Bronchial restriction happens when the muscles in your airways tighten around the breathing tubes in your lungs. (Bronchial tubes). Mucus or fluid that is accumulated by the reaction can obstruct your airway and make it very difficult to breathe properly.
Asthma is a respiratory disorder marked by breathing difficulty caused by temporary narrowing of the bronchi, the airways branching from the trachea to the lungs. Attacks usually are brought on by allergic reaction to ANTIGENS such as grass and tree pollens, mold spores, fungi, animal dander, and certain foods but may also be caused by chemical irritants in the atmosphere or by infections of the respiratory tract. Susceptibility to an asthma attack is based on hyperactivity of the bronchial muscles, which constrict on exposure to one or another of these agents. Episodes of asthma vary widely in severity and may last from a few minutes to several days.
Breathing is a vital process for every human. Normal breathing is practically effortless for most people, but those with asthma face a great challenge. During an asthma attack, breathing is hampered, making it difficult or even impossible for air to flow through the lungs. Asthma is an increasingly common problem, and has become the most common chronic childhood disease. At least 17 million Americans suffer from it(1), and although it can be fatal, it is usually not that severe(4). There is no cure for asthma, but with proper care, it can usually be controlled.
Asthma is best described by its technical name: Reversible Obstructive Airway Disease (ROAD). In other words, asthma is a condition in which the airways of the lungs become either narrowed or blocked. The results are usually temporary but they cause shortness of breath, breathing trouble, wheezing, coughing, and tightness in the chest. To know what it really feels like to have asthma, I would like everyone to pick up the straw that’s on their desk and put it in their mouth as if they were using it to drink something. Then, pinch your nose. Try breathing for twenty seconds. A real attack can last up to more than 10 minutes and you are only doing it for 20 seconds. If we had more time, I would have the class go to a stairwell and have you run up and down and see what it is like to have asthma while doing other activities.
Asthma is such a common disease. For instance, a negative response to an emotional stress can cause an asthma attack (Mark 1007). Have you actually seen someone have an asthma attack? It is the scariest thing because you cannot do anything about it. They say that there are no cures for asthma, and they also claim that there is some natural therapies that may help to manage symptoms of asthma. Weather your asthma is completely manageable and only shows up from time to time, or if you only have to deal with it on a daily basis, either way you have probably gone through your fair share of prescription medications. These medications, though, are not only expensive, but sometimes they come with their own set of problems, which only add to the ones you are already having with your condition. If you are suffering from asthma, you should consider a natural cure for asthma instead of going the traditional medicinal route.
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:
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?").