Respiratory Conditions

Question 1

Asthma

Answer 1

TRIGGERS OF ASTHMA?

• pollution
• pollen
• allergens
• unknown causes
• mould or damp
  -weather

ASTHMA OVERVIEW:

Airways become swollen and narrow; bronchioconstriction
And mucus builds up in the airway. This makes breathing difficult.

SYMPTOMS:

• Whistling sound when breathing (usually observed on auscultation)
• breathlessness
• a tight chest (may feel like a band is tightening around it
• coughing

RISK FACTORS:

• genetics
• other allergies (comorbidities)
• being a male child or a female adult
  -obesity
  -smoking

TREATMENT:

5mg of salbutamol
Ipotropium Bromide

Question 2

Most common indicators of Respiratory involvement?

Answer 2

• Shortness of breath
• cough
• wheeze
• Cyanosis ~ common in vascular / cardiac
• Tight chest ~ common in cardiac too
• chest pain ~ common also in cardiac and abdominal
• SIGNS OF INFECTION

Signs of difficulty breathing:

• tripod position
• unable to complete sentences
• use of accessory muscles (SCALENE AND STERNOCLEIDOMASTOID ~ neck muscles essentially)
• recession of skin into intercostal spaces whilst breathing
• Flared nostrils
• Purse lip breathing
• Wheezing
• Stridor
• Cyanosis
• Reduced LoC

Palpate for:

• tenderness
• crepitus
• surgical emphysema

Percuss for:

• Hyper- resonance
• Normo-resonance
• Hypo-resonance

Auscultation for:

• normal breath sounds
• wheeze
• fine crackles
• coarse crackles
• reduced breath sounds
• pleural rub