Ch 9 Asthma Flashcards
Is asthma reversible?
Yes but not necessarily curable
Symptoms of asthma attack
Shortness of breath
Coughing
Wheezing
Tightness in the chest
In the extreme, person can not breath
What can trigger an asthma attack?
Cold/heat
Humidity
Exercise
Smoking
Allergens (ex: pollen)
Atopic/non-atopic
Viral infections
NSAIDs
Food additives
Psychomatic factors
Pathophysiology of asthma (3)
Inflamed tissue/red/swollen/edema/excessive mucous production
Bronchial hyper responsiveness to other types of stimuli
Immune cells enter the lung tissues in some cases
what composante causes the inflammation and brochoconstriction?
Leukotrienes
The underlying inflammation is thought to be ____
chronic, so a person will always have some level of inflammation in their lungs
two major goals of a drug for asthma
treat asthma attack symptoms
treat the underlying chronic inflammation
4 types of asthma
Intermittent
Mild persistent
Moderate persistent
Severe persistent
Intermittent asthma
1-2 attacks per week, waking up 1 time per month
Mild persistent asthma
3-6 attacks per week, waking up 2-3 times per month
Moderate persistent asthma
7 attacks per week, waking up 4 times per month
Severe persistent asthma
8 or more attacks per week, waking up 5 or more times per month
What happens to the force expiratory volume during severe persistent asthma?
It is between 60% and 80% in the severe form
What is forced expiratory volume?
A test where they try to expel as much as possible. The lower the value, the worse is the lung function
What are short acting beta-agonist (SABA)?
quick relief
prevent an imminent attack
not taken routinely, only as needed
prevent brochonconstriction
