Respiratory medication's Flashcards
Common respiratory problems requiring medications is:
- infections
- mucous
- collapse of bronchioles (asthma)
- infectious masses or tumors
- upper airways - allergic reactions and bacterial/viral infections -
Drugs that relieve symptoms of reparatory disease
- Bronchodilators
- Inhaled corticosteroids
- Asthma prophylactic drugs
- Leukotriene receptor antagonists
- Oxygen therapy
- OTC preparation (URTI conditions)
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is:
- a disease of the airways - alveoli are partially obstructed or destroyed
- the result is labored breathing
COPD healthy and diseased lungs look like:
- Healthy lungs:
- passageways to alveoli are open
- bouncy and strong
- fill up like balloons when taking breath
*Diseased lungs:
- airways partially blocked
- alveoli partially obstructive or destroyed
- alveoli do not fill well on breathing
- laboured breathing
COPD symptoms include:
- respiratory infections
- cough
- emphysema
- excessive mucous and sputum
- airway damage
3 main disorders of COPD:
- chronic bronchitis
- emphysema
- chronic asthma
COPD - drug therapy is used to:
- relieve symptoms
- prevent exacerbations
- slow decline of disease
- improve quality of life
Drug therapy for COPD include:
- Broncho - dilators
- long-acting Beta 2 agonist
- inhaled corticosteroid
- Oxygen
Asthma is characterised by:
- airway inflammation (narrowing of air passage)
- intermittent airflow obstruction
- bronchial hyper responsiveness
- mucous secretion
Asthma:
- chronic inflammatory disorder in which many cells including mast cells, T cells, macrophages, epithelial cells play a role
Symptoms of inflammation:
- breathlessness
- chest tightness
- coughing
- wheezing
- nasal flaring
- decreased exercise tolerance
Signs of severe attacks:
- gasping for breath
- severe chest tightness
- inability to speak 1 or 2 words at a time
- feeling distressed and anxious
- little or no improvement after using blue reliever
- sucking in of the throat and rib muscles
- blue colour around lips
- pale perspiring
Ashtma - pathophysiology includes:
asthma attacks can be divided into:
- immediate response - mainly bronchospasm which can be treated with bronchodilators
- Late response - several hours later - involves bronchospasm, vasodilation, bronchial oedema and secretion
- can also be categorized as mild, moderate and severe
Treatment of asthma:
- avoid triggers
- management involves symptomatic and prophylactic treatment
- anti-asthma drugs can be divided into - symptom relievers, controllers and preventers
Drugs used in respiratory disorders:
- antihistamines - reduces histamines caused by allergic reaction.
- asthma medication - prevention medication
- bronchodilators
- anticholinergics - xanthine derivatives - relax smooth muscles in bronchi and blood vessels in the lungs
- leukotriene receptor inhibitors - block receptors that control bronchoconstriction
- corticosteriods - long term control of asthma - inhaled or oral
- antitussives - drugs to relieve coughing
- decongestants - relieve nasal congestion
- expectorants - promotes secretion of sputum
