Introduction
Asthma is defined as a chronic inflammatory illness of the airway that mostly has a remarkable impact on children’s well-being and general academic performance. Pathophysiology in asthma is the combination of processes that are associated with asthma. These processes are complex, including obstruction of airflow, bronchial hyper-responsiveness, and airway inflammation. There are various cells, inflammatory structures, and mediators that work jointly to create asthma symptoms. These signs and symptoms of asthma are different from one person to another, meaning that some people might have asthma symptoms only at certain times, like during exercises, while others have symptoms all the time. Symptoms of asthma are chest pains, breath shortness, and wheezing during exhalation, usually in children. This essay will look into details about what triggers asthma, its causes, and the different treatment methods.
Bronchoconstriction, a condition that affects asthma patients, is triggered by cold air and environmental pollutants. This condition develops in the following way: Mast cells get activated and release many chemicals called mediators when the body is triggered. These mediators then initiate the inflammatory response that causes bronchoconstriction, an acute asthma exacerbation (Gibson & McDonald, 2017). For acute asthma to form, there has to be an airway irritant causing panic or hyper-responsiveness to the body, which causes the bronchial smooth muscle contraction, thus narrowing the airways. The body then tries to protect the airways and, in the process, increases other methods limiting the uptake of oxygen. The two types of lung tests that diagnose asthma are spirometry, exhaled nitric acid, and challenge tests. Spirometry measures how quickly a patient can blast air outside their lungs while exhaled nitric acid calculates the amount of nitric acid in breathed-out air.
Nurses and Their Role in Asthma Care
The National Asthma Education and Prevention inform physicians on the management of asthma and behaviors that accompany asthma. The objectives of this organization comprise ensuring recognition of symptoms on time, increasing the awareness of patients, and raising successful control between patients and providers of healthcare through the implementation of education and modern treatment. Given that nurses in the school setting provide care to asthma children, they have to stay updated on national recommendations, comprehend ways these guidelines affect practice, and apply asthma governing initiatives based on these guidelines (Chaplin, 2018). It is also essential for nurses to get a suitable education that maintains their capability to provide asthma care. This education includes structured and comprehensive asthma-based learning that improves the recognition of evidence-based instructions to enhance the outcome for asthma patients. Overall, nurses supporting quality asthma care reduce asthma exacerbation risks, curtail emergency hospitalizations, and increase general school performance for students.
Conclusion
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that hugely affects the life quality of patients and their families and healthcare. When asthma is not controlled, this leads to urgent admissions to hospitals and short care visits. Blood tests, physical inspection, pulmonary purpose tests, and chest x-rays are methods used to detect asthma. Although asthma has no cure, symptom controllers manage asthma long-term, while symptom relievers control immediate asthma symptoms. Nurses and health care experts should educate patients on risk factors of asthma, which include: Inhalation of allergens, and exposure to cold and dust, as a way of minimizing and controlling asthma attacks. It is also crucial for asthma patients to work with their doctor to closely monitor signs and symptoms and adjust treatment as required.
References
Chaplin, S. (2018). Diagnosis, monitoring and management of chronic asthma. Prescriber, 29(4), 31-33. Web.
Gibson, P., & McDonald, V. (2017). Management of severe asthma: Targeting the airways, comorbidities and risk factors. Internal Medicine Journal, 47(6), 623-631. Web.