Asthma and PNA Flashcards
What is asthma?
chronic inflammatory disease or bronchial airways characterized by airway hyper-responsiveness, mucosal edema, mucous production and periods of reversible bronchospasm
Asthma is aka
reactive airway disease
Is asthma a reversible process?
yes, either spontaneously or with treatment
How long can an acute asthma exacerbation last?
minutes, hours to days
What are factors that can lead to an asthma exacerbation?
allergens respiratory infections nose, sinus problems drugs, food additives emotional stress
What are some drugs that can cause an asthma exacerbation?
ASA NSAIDS (ibuprofen, indomethacin) Beta blockers (Inderal, timoptic)
What are some food additives that can cause an asthma exacerbation?
tartrazine (yellow dye #5)
sodium metabisul-fite (food preservative found in fruits, beer, wine, and salad bars)
s/sx of asthma
cough: productive or nonproductive
wheezing
dyspnea
What are the 4 types of PNA?
community-aquired
hospital-aquired
opportunistic
aspiration
What is community-acquired PNA?
in community or within the first 48 hours of a hospital admission
What is hospital-acquired PNA?
occurs more than 48 hours after a hospital admission
What is opportunistic PNA?
occurs in pts with an altered immune system
ex: Pneumocystis carinii occurs in more than 70% of HIV pts
What is aspiration PNA?
results from entry of endogenous or exogenous substance into the airway
predisposing factors for PNA
chronic diseases, cancer immunosuppression from meds, transplants, AIDS smoking prolonged immobility altered LOC d/t drug OD, anesthesia, CVA, head injury alcoholism respiratory depression elderly pt
s/sx of PNA
abrupt onset of fever, chills productive cough with purulent sputum pleuritic pain aggravated by coughing, breathing tachypnea SOB, AMU for breathing diaphoresis confusion in elderly pts may be present
