Essays on Asthma

Asthma is a chronic airway disease that is difficult to manage because of numerous risk factors and complicated by poor self-management. This is a case study of acute severe asthma triggered by viral respiratory infection and exercise in an Aboriginal female with chronic asthma. The discussion will include the diagnostic tests, patient assessment, care and interventions, medications, and nursing care performed or should have been performed. The expected outcomes will also be described.

An arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis was performed showing respiratory acidosis and mild hypoxaemia. Above normal PaCO2 and below normal pH meant the lungs could not Continue reading...

HYPOTHESIS

Is the peak flow meter reliable enough to measure asthma? Are peak flow measurement variations sufficiently sensitive and specific in cases of occupational asthma, childhood asthma and under other asthmatic conditions?

INTRODUCTION

Asthma is a serious lung condition characterized by bronchial hyper-reactivity, inflammation and mucous plugging resulting in airway constriction. An acute asthmatic attack is usually reversible by rescue inhalers. Asthma affects over 5 % of the US population and is responsible for approximately half a million hospital admissions annually in the US. 1
The Peak Flow Meter is a simple device which is very useful in measuring changes in airway Continue reading...

Asthma is a complex multifactorial disease that affects millions of people worldwide and can occur across any age or ethnicity. In children, boys are slightly more affected than girls, but in adults, women are more affected than men (Fanta 1002). Asthma affects about 300 million people and accounts for around 250,000 deaths each year worldwide (Lv et al. 105; Ober and Yao 11). Asthma can be atopic or non-atopic. Atopic asthma usually starts in childhood or adolescence and is hypothesized to be influenced by genetic predisposition. Non-atopic asthma usually occurs in adults and can result from bacterial or Continue reading...

The Definition and Symptoms of Asthma

Asthma is a common medical condition which is chronic and involves the airway. It is a complex disease which is symptomatized by repeated instances of inflammation resulting in varying degrees of airflow blockage and a hyperactive bronchial response. The way the disease manifests clinically, the level of severity, and the treatment efficacy is determined by the interaction of these features.
The symptoms of asthma are usually preceded by specific triggering events or stressors such as physical exertion, pollutants, or weather changes. Asthmatic episodes may also be seasonal, especially for children who have seasonal allergies (Ege, Mayer, Normand, Genuneit, Cookson, Continue reading...

Meadowbank TAFE

HLTAP501A/B/C Analyze Health Information
HLTCOM510B Provide Services to Clients with Chronic Disease or Conditions
PATHOLOGY ASSIGNMENT
–ASTHMA–
Abstract
Asthma is a chronic problem that influences lung function. Clinically asthma is identified by the variation in expiratory airflow and abnormal respiratory symptoms such as wheezing, chest congestion, cough, and shortness of breath. The aetiology of asthma is linked to a mixture of genetic and environmental factors, though; heredity or atopy also plays a role in asthma. Asthma is categorized into two types: extrinsic (allergic) and intrinsic (nonallergic). Allergic asthma is an outcome of the reaction of an antibody in the Continue reading...

Quantitative Article Critique

Where does this research fall under based on the intent of the researcher? Explain in depth
The study falls under the category of evaluation research. Evaluation research focuses on the processes and outcomes of attempted solutions. The current study is a pilot test aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of an asthma intervention program for school children “Okay with Asthma”. The research study was specifically aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the program in improving the asthma knowledge and attitudes of children towards their own illness.

Methodology

Define the specific method used by the researchers/authors
The researchers employed a quasi-experimental design. Continue reading...

Article Review

Article Review

Introduction

Asthma is increasing becoming a national concern in the United States due to its economic and health impacts. In 2010, about 25 million of the population in the USA suffered from Asthma (CDC, 2014). This translates to about 10 percent of the entire population. In 2009, asthma killed nine people on average each day. The USA spends $ 56 billion in treating asthma each year (CDC, 2014). It should be appreciated that asthma is incurable. However, if managed and treated properly, a person with Asthma can live normally. This paper seeks to critique a study by McClelland et Continue reading...

ID Number

Introduction

This experiment is to evaluate the effects of the use of drugs on the human body, particularly, the effects of Salbutamol on asthmatic patients. Specifically, this paper seeks to describe what a drug is and the principles behind the actions of drugs and to detail drug receptor interactions such as specificity, binding, affinity, antagonists, and agonists. In this study, participants performed the Harvard modified step test. The aim of this study of this test is to measure the maximal physical working capacity such as the maximal oxygen intake (Rhyming, 1953). It is hypothesized that maximal working capacity Continue reading...

Asthma is a common lung disease that remains a great challenge to health care management systems in several countries. Particularly in US there is an evident disproportionality in its prevalence. Asthma is more common among minorities especially African-Americans compared to others, and its control seems to be complicated by several socio-economic factors. In this paper, these are discussed in detail.

Disease and Symptoms

A lung disorder characterized by reversible obstruction of the respiratory tract is known as asthma. This obstruction occurs due to inflammation in response to allergens such as pollen, dust or smoke, stress, exercise or changes in environmental conditions. Asthma Continue reading...

Introduction

Family medicine is a branch of medicine concerned with delivering health care services at the family level. Unlike other medical fields which with the patient individually, family medicine practitioners must incorporate the other family members in the delivery of health services. Family medicine practice is built around addressing the Ideas, Concerns and Expectations (ICEs) of the patient and the family. Family medicine practitioners should be flexible in responding to diverse medical needs of a family. Additionally, family medicine practitioners should be able to reconcile the priority areas of the patient and those derived from medicine and address them in Continue reading...

Abstract

The use of influenza vaccine has both advantages and disadvantages. Its low efficacy rate has resulted to several questions being raised on whether it is necessary to have the vaccine. This paper aims to discuss whether it is beneficial to obtain influenza vaccine in terms of its safety and effectiveness. The topic will also go beyond science by focusing on the cost effectiveness of the influenza vaccine. The study was done by looking for other peer-reviewed sources and doing an assessment of the information presented. The studies have shown several benefits of using influenza vaccine such as efficacy, safety Continue reading...

The environment has a lot of impacts on people’s way of life and the health factor in general. A physical environment littered with solid and fluid waste, always results to serious health concern. Poor disposal of solid waste besides being a health hazard causes an eyesore to the surrounding (California Newsreel, 2008). The same waste may also result to accidents on roads and even in the residential homes. Socially, an environment that is constantly in violence is not a very good one to bring up a child. Children brought up in such environment may end up being very Continue reading...

The trachea is the tube that connects the bronchi to the throat. The bronchi are further trachea divisions. One proceeds to left lung while the other into the right one. In the lungs, each bronchi separates into smaller bronchi. The broncheoli are bronchi branches, which are smaller tubes that amount to pulmonary alveolus. The pulmonary alveoli are tiny air sacs delineated through single-layer membranes that have blood capillaries on either end. The lungs’ inner surfaces are where gaseous exchange takes place due to the alveoli structure. The lungs are a pair of organs within the vertebrates (Collins & Eric, 2012). Continue reading...

Application: Asthma and Stepwise Management

Introduction
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory respiratory disease which is experienced by a large segment of the population of the US (McGonigle & Mastrian 2011, p. 346). Because of the differences in severity and persistence which vary from person to person, it is vital to consider the various treatment options for asthma patients. The best way to do this is with a stepwise approach; the following outlines a stepwise management approach to asthma treatment and management, as well as the advantages of stepwise management in controlling diseases and adverse medical conditions. Stepwise management is shown to be an effective means Continue reading...

Health history and screening of a young adult

Biographical data
Patient initials: l. p phone number: 1234567
Occupation: student employer: currently unemployed
Financial status: the patient is under complete care of his parents. Both the parents of the patient have adequate medical insurance. The patient however normally uses the health insurance of his mother for personal reasons.
Source and reliability of information: the source of the information is the patient himself. The patient is fully aware of his ongoing and very alert. There are no indications that the patient might have a lack of understanding of exactly what is going on. The information is thus very reliable Continue reading...

Should Smoking Be banned from Bars and Eating Establishments?

Smoking is one of the most irritating things in the world. Many people prefer not to sit or even stand next to someone who is smoking. Smoking produces bad smell of tobacco and nicotine which may irritate many people who are near someone who is smoking. Smoking is a killer. This is a strong message that should be clearly adhered to and used to drive people towards the prevention of diseases related to smoking as well as death. Smoking has had very numerous negative effects on the lives of people as it attributed to financial, social and health factors ( Continue reading...

The effects of acid reflux on the equilibrium (homeostasis) of the human digestive system vary according to the extent the disease attacks the esophagus. Located in the upper digestive tract of the body, the esophagus tube carries ingested food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach (nih.gov 2013). The physiological effects of acid reflux disease on the digestive system affect its homeostasis by irritating the esophagus causing different symptoms.
When acid reflux disease (GERD) occurs the muscle at the end of the esophagus fails to close properly allowing leakage of the contents of the stomach backing up into Continue reading...

Abstract

Abstract
Problem/ Purpose: Previous research studies conducted in urban emergency set-ups have identified the barriers and beliefs associated with poor adherence to follow-up with primary care providers after visits to the emergency department amongst children with asthma. The purpose of the study was to develop an emergency department based intervention that incorporated screening of asthma symptoms, a video designed to influence beliefs about primary care physician follow-up, and a follow up remainder that was mailed to the participants, and to measure the impact of the intervention on PCP follow-up rates and asthma-linked outcomes.

Sample: The study enrolled children aged Continue reading...

The Asthma Control Test (ACT) and the COPD Assessment Test (CAT)

Asthma Control Test (ACT) is a health survey with five questions to measure how individuals with asthma cope with the problem. This test applies to individuals aged twelve and above. It focuses on the main elements of asthma control. The test follows the paradigm shift developed for asthma paying attention to the severity of the disease to its control. It identifies and detects those patients with asthma who have not been able to control asthma well. Minimal important differences (MID), developed with ACT helps medical experts identify the significance of a patient’s scores as they receive treatment over Continue reading...

Comparing Asthma to Emphysema

Asthma refers to a disease, which causes lung airways to narrow and swell resulting to breathe shortening, wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness. On the other hand, emphysema refers to a kind of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD and involves damaging of the air sacs or alveoli that are located in the lungs. This causes oxygen shortage in the body. Emphysema also damages the elastic fibers holding open the minute airways going to the air sacs, and this causes these airways to collapse when breathing out preventing the air in the lungs from escaping (Mayo Clinic, 2011).
The main Continue reading...

The effectiveness of inhalers in coping with COPD and asthma in adults is affected by numerous factors among them the adherence to inhaled corticosteroids particularly MDI and DPI. Studies done by different researchers show consistent results in regards to the outcomes of the therapy depending on the choice of the type of inhaler and the adherence level each patient record. The type of treatment delivery used is not a major factor that influences the outcome of the treatment, but it is the patient’s adherence to the treatment (2). A study to determine whether patients show the same adherence Continue reading...

The Pediatric Asthma action plan is developed to help pediatric patients gain considerable control over the disease. it helps to strengthen the patient's awareness of their well being and allows them to take the best action at every point in time so that the frequency of exacerbations are reduced and also the morbidity and mortality associated with pediatric asthma is brought down to the barest minimum (Ducheme et al, 2011). The action plan includes a list of the mediations to take, the dosage of the medications, the periods during which the medications should be taken, things to do during Continue reading...

Activity 1

Activity 2
Activity 3
Activity 4
Diagram to explain how β-adrenoceptors antagonists produce clinically useful effects
It suffices to note that b blockers have their main role outside the central nervous system. They competitively block receptor occupancy of b receptors, from agonists like catecholamines. Some bind irreversibly to beta receptors and are therefore used only in experimental settings. Some beta antagonists constitutively reduce the activity of beta receptors. These kind are known as inverse agonists. Most beta receptors blockers are structurally similar to isoproterenol

Harley,1983

Would we treat uncomplicated hypertension in 68year old patient with moderate asthma and renal impairment Continue reading...

Introduction

This report draws attention on asthma because it is a common lung disease in American affecting millions of both old and young people. However, it is important to conduct much research on this disease because the rate of people suffering from it is continuing to increase. This is so because research conducted in 2009 indicated that 1 out of every 10 children had asthma while 1 out of every 12 adults had the disease. It was essential for this report to focus on asthma because dissimilar studies indicate that more than 8.5 million children in America suffer from the Continue reading...

Asthma is a chronic pulmonary disorder. The inflammation of the airways and their hyper-responsiveness is responsible for several symptoms, which include coughing, wheezing, feeling of tightness in the chest area, and shortage of breath. Other characteristics of asthma include increased eosinophils, increased tissue contractibility, and thickened lamina reticularis. Although asthma has an early onset, all age groups can suffer from asthma, and all patients are at risk for acute asthma exacerbation, which leads to high morbidity and mortality rates.
Because asthma is a chronic disorder, drug therapy needs to be controlled and aimed at managing the disorder. A stepwise Continue reading...

Description of Injury and Treatment Plan

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament of the knee in regards to stabilization (Friedberg, 2013). The ACL originates from the later femoral condyle in the distal femur; it traverses in an antero-medial direction to insert onto the antero-medial part of the tibia, in between the condyles. (Friedberg, 2013) The function of the ACL is to resist anterior movement and medial rotation of the tibia in relation to the femur (Markolf, Mensch, & Amstutz, 1976). A Non-contact mechanism of injury involves a running or jumping athlete with a sudden change in direction. A contact Continue reading...

Health inequality refers to the presence of systematic disparities in health or between the determinants of health between groups that have different social advantage for instance wealth, prestige and power (Boe, 2009). Health equity refers to the opposite of health inequality.
In the US, there exists different ethnicities and there are both instances of inequality and others that exude equity. In the US is there are significant disparities in the prevalence of several chronic diseases. In most cases the diseases prevalence is higher in African Americans than it is for white Americans (Virginia Department of Health, 2013). The cancer Continue reading...

- Introduction
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are disease associated with obstruction and chronic inflammation of the airway (respiratory tract). Though the two conditions are separate and different, they are so similar to the extent that misdiagnosis of either condition is highly likely. Some scholars have called for a re-evaluation of the two disorders in terms of their symptomatic differences, their coexistence and their overlap. Gibson and Simpson (2009) extensively studied the overlapping diagnosis of COPD and asthma and introduced the concept of the overlap syndrome. The major difference between the two conditions has to do with Continue reading...

Asthma is a chronic pulmonary disorder that is characterized by an inflammation and hyper-responsiveness of the airways and causes several symptoms, including coughing, shortage of breath, tightness in the chest area, and wheezing. Although asthma is generally diagnosed early in life, all age groups can suffer from asthma and be at risk for acute asthma exacerbation. Asthma is a serious issue because acute exacerbations can lead to high morbidity and mortality rates.
In 2009, more than 3,000 people died because of asthma (American Lung Association, 2012). Only 37 asthma-related deaths per year occur in children, but the risk Continue reading...

1.0The clinic allergist details are as follows:
1.0.1 Name: Dr. Sai Karlapudi of Alaska Allergy Center. He is practitioner in Asthma, Immunology and Allergy for both adults and children. The doctor is Board certified
1.0.2 Details of the Doctor: She is certified under the American Board of Medical practitioners. She has been in the field for about 20 years serving Alaska Community Service Centre.
1.0.3 Educational Background: The doctor has a Degree in Medical from New South Wales medical college in Australia (1983).She finished her residency in Pediatrics Victoria Hospital in Melbourne in 1988.Her subspecialty in Immunology and Continue reading...

The Hazards of Nicotine and Cigarette Smoking

Smoking and Its Effects: The Hazards of Nicotine and Cigarette Smoking
Background
The Tobacco Industry
Tobacco first came to be known when Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, received tobacco leaves as a gift from American Indians and brought it to Europe in the 1400’s. From that time to the early 1700’s, tobacco became widely popular increasing its value to that of gold and using it even as a medium of trade. The 16th-19th century saw the constant bloom of the Tobacco Industry then only producing and selling cigars. But it was in the early 20th century that Continue reading...

Background

Asthma is a chronic disease associated with inflammation of the lining of airway and obstruction of lung airflow. It usually involves an increase in the number of inflammatory cells, most commonly eosinophils and to some extent basophils, mast cells, macrophages. (Eds. Brunton, et al., 2009) Asthma, together with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), is considered as one ofthe most common obstructive lung diseases characterized by expiratory airflow obstruction. (eds. Longo, et al., 2012)
An asthmatic patient usually presents with recurrent events of shortness of bright (SOB), chest tightness, and wheezing, “a high-pitched whistling sound when breathing caused by movement Continue reading...

Qualitative Research Critique

Discussion
Article Citation
(Place in the column to right and include in your reference list for this assignment. This is APA related, so no points are assigned, but can be lost for this.)
Burkhart, P. V., Rayens, M. K., &Oakley, M. G. (2012). Effect of Peak Flow Monitoring on Child Asthma Quality of Life. Journal Of Pediatric Nursing, 27(1), 18-25.

Introductory Materials: number each question below separately in your answers to the right.

1. Introduction to problem
2. Research problems/hypotheses
3. Significance of the problem
4. Theoretical concept/framework
5. Literature review
1. Did the researcher(s) introduce the problem and how was it put into a meaningful context for research?
The Continue reading...

Background information

According to the United Nations, homelessness has become “an increasing social and public health problem worldwide”. There are various states of homelessness. Absolute homelessness refers to “conditions of persons without physical shelter”. Relative homelessness refers to a state in which one has some form of physical shelter but the shelter does not meet the required health and safety standards. For instance, it has poor sanitation and access to water is limited or non-existent. Estimates reveal that over 100 million individuals are homeless worldwide. In the United States of America, the US Department of Housing Continue reading...

Medical errors cause up to 98,000 people to die annually in the United States. They are the fifth leading cause of death and cost the United States $29 billion annually (Kohn 1999 in Al-Assaf, 2003). Medication errors result in devastating effects on the practice of a healthcare worker and a hospital where it is reported. It increases morbidity and mortality. It also heightens hospital cost and promotes litigations with concomitant bad PR. Healthcare administrators must be proactive to prevent these errors by creating learning communities among healthcare workers. They must rise up to the occasion when it occurs Continue reading...

Pharmacokinetics of Levalbuterol

Levalbuterol is the R-enentiomer, which is a β2 –adrenergic receptor that is short-acting and agonist salbutamol. It is branded with various names including Levolin or Axazest (Peterson, 2004). Levalbuterol is a bronchodilator thus used in the treatment of asthma. Therefore, it widens breathing passages and makes breathing easier. The drug is available as a solution that is usedby a nebulizer and as an MDI. (Indra, 2004) The drug has different effects on the patient, which are detrimental in nature, which include anxiety, muscle cramps, weakness and irregular heartbeat. Another unlikely serious side effect that might happen is chest pains Continue reading...

Asthma Treatment

The research was undertaken to evaluate the safety and efficacy of three single doses of (R)-albuterol (levalbuterol) compared with a placebo and racemic albuterol in patients with asthma. Levalbuterol 1.25mg dose was used to compare with equal amounts of the R isomer in 2.50 mg standard dosage of racemic albuterol. Doses of 0.63 mg and 0.31 mg of Levalbuterol were also used in the study to represent one-half and one-third doses of (R)-albuterol 2.50 mg standard dose respectively

The research was double-blind, single dose ranging, five-way crossover study. The sample size was 20 patients with Continue reading...

Customer Inserts His/ Her Name

Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name
(28.1.2012)

a) Among the major signs of pneumonia are persistent coughs with sputum, fever and chest pains during inhalation, shortness of breath and headaches (Schiffman, 2012). In the case provided, Evelyn had the exact signs and symptoms as the ones that cause pneumonia and is therefore, suffering from pneumonia.
b) The history of the patient in the case study and the tests done indicate that the pneumonia Evelyn is suffering from is viral pneumonia. The history of the disease, over a month of experiencing symptoms of fever, headache and persistent cough indicate the patient Continue reading...

Abstract

This research presentation consists of an in-depth study into a community public health problem derived from two separate epidemiological approaches. It is also written in two parts; namely Part I and I1.The goal, primarily, is to demonstrate the fundamental community health nursing skills involved in describing a population’s health problem using appropriate descriptive epidemiological straxtegies. Secondly, Continue reading...

1. The chemical name of salbutamol is α1-[(tert-Butylamino)methyl]-4-hydroxy-m-xylene-α,α’-diol; α1-[[(1,1-dimethylethyl)amino]methyl]-4-hydroxy-1,3-benzenedimethanol;CAS Reg. No. 18559-94-9. The molecular formula of Salbutamol is C13H21NO3. It is a white or almost white, crystalline powder and is odorless (World Health Organization 2006, p.845). It belongs to the category of antiasthamatic drug. The generic name is Salbutamol (Elling, Jackson & Jackson 2007, p. 121). The Australian trade name of Salbutamol is Albuterol (AMH, 2011).
2. a. Salbutamol is specifically indicated in the following conditions:

Asthma(acute)

Reversible obstruction of airways (Including COPD) and other similar conditions and maintenance asthma Continue reading...