A chronic infection that effects the lungs' airways and causes asthma causes irregular breathing patterns. All ages are affected by asthma, which frequently starts in childhood although it can also appear for the first time in adulthood. There is currently no cure for asthma, but there are easy managements that can help keep the symptoms under control so they don't significantly affect the patient's life. Asthma is typically a lifelong disease, though some people, particularly children, may eventually outgrow it.
The diagnosis of asthma in toddlers is frequently made solely clinically; looking at whether the family has a history of the disease or if they experience difficulty in breathing or recurrent spells of bronchitis. If an individual is old enough, then they can undergo a test to assist in the diagnosis. For those over five years, there is spirometry which is a breathing test for measuring the lung function. There is also nitric oxide exhaled test which is an airway inflammation marker. The use of a peak flow meter which also estimates the lung function is helpful especially in pediatric asthma’s diagnosis. The chest X-rays are sometimes applicable in the asthma diagnosis as they may show if in case it is asthma that is causing the symptoms (WebMD 1).
Symptoms and Complications
The symptoms of asthma usually vary in individuals; whereas some may have them only at certain times, for instance when doing any physical activity, others may experience them all the time. The signs and symptoms are inclusive of chest pain, breath shortness, and trouble in sleeping due to coughing or wheezing. There is also a whistle like sound in asthmatic individuals especially while exhaling. The complications of asthma include the visits to the emergency rooms and hospitalizations for the severe cases. There is the everlasting contraction of the bronchial tubes that interfere with how an individual breath. There are also the signs and symptoms that obstruct one from work, sleep, or leisure activities and even the sick days of asthma flare-ups that prevent people from going to work or school (MAYO CLINIC 2).
Diagnosis Finding from Imaging and Histology
Anatomy
The lungs airways comprise of the membranous bronchi, the cartilaginous bronchi, alveolar ducts, and the respiratory bronchioles. The role of the cartilaginous and the membranous bronchi is generally as lifeless anatomic gap and also contribute to the resistance to the airways. The terminal bronchioles which are the tiniest non-air-exchanging airways and roughly has a diameter of 0.5 mm, and have the consideration of being small if they possess a diameter of less than 2 mm. The structure of the airway consists of the basement membrane, a smooth-muscle medium that extends to the entrances of the alveolar, primarily fibrocartilaginous connective tissue, and mucosa, that has the composition of the epithelial cells for the production and transportation of mucous.
Histology
From histology, the characteristic of cancer is by the existence of the constant swelling of the airways. There is the thickening of the bronchi by the amalgamation of edema, bronchial barricade soft muscle hyperplasia and an augmentation in the mucous glands’ size that are in association with the airways. Moreover, there is the formation of the crystalline particles known as the Charcot-Leyden crystals in the eosinophils. The mucous plugs called the Curschmann’s spirals which are in the shape of spirals also appear in the sputum (Weerakkody p 4).
Treatment
There is only a management for cancer currently but no cure, and the appropriate care of asthma can put a stop to the symptoms and the frequent visits to the hospitals and the emergency rooms. One of the strongholds of the treatment of asthma is the asthma medications, and they work as explained below.
Anti-inflammatory
They are the mainly essential drugs for the individuals having asthma as they reduce swelling and the production of mucus in the airways thus becoming less responsive and reactive to the triggers. They always lead to better airflow, few symptoms, less damage to the airway, and even fewer cases of the asthma attacks. If used on a daily basis, they can manage and even thwart the symptoms of asthma.
Bronchodilators
The drugs loosen up the muscle bands and prevent them from tightening around the airways thus allowing more air to enter and leave the lungs which improve respiration. They also assist in the clearing of the mucus from the lungs as their elimination becomes accessible through coughing when the airway is open. They help in the management of symptoms and put off the episodes of cancer (Cleveland Clinic p 7).
Methods of Prevention
Even if asthma has no prevention method, through the help of a physician, there can be the design of a plan for survival and prevention of the attacks of the disease and follow it strictly. There can be the vaccination for pneumonia and influenza so as to prevent the triggering of the flare-ups of asthma. The patients should take their medications as per the prescriptions and also give attention to the quick-relief inhaler and if there no control one should seek the doctor’s assistance (MAYO CLINIC 12).
Direction for Future Research
There should be the creation of the continuous joint training of execution researchers with the objective of developing new study designs that allow the integration of proof into clinical practice while evaluating the results of implementation to meet the needs of the patients. There should also be the goal of investigating the best practices for the scientific discoveries’ dissemination and facts-based observations in different clinical care environments. There should be the establishment of the relative rate efficiency hub center in the collaborative that applies the organized approach in the comparison of various asthma interventions (NIH p 6).
Works Cited
Cleveland Clinic. "What Is Asthma? Symptoms & Medications: Health Library." Cleveland Clinic, 2017, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/asthma-an-overview.
MAYO CLINIC. "Asthma Complications." Mayo Clinic, 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma/basics/complications/con-20026992.
NIH. "Future Research Directions in Asthma - NHLBI, NIH." National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) - NHLBI, NIH, 28 Dec. 2015, www.nhlbi.nih.gov/research/reports/future-research-directions-asthma.
WebMD. "Tests to Diagnose Asthma and Identify Triggers." WebMD, 2017, www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/diagnosing-asthma-tests#1.
Weerakkody, Yuranga. "Asthma | Radiology Reference Article | Radiopaedia.org." Radiopaedia.org, the Wiki-based Collaborative Radiology Resource, 2017, radiopaedia.org/articles/asthma-1.
