Wheeze + Asthma

Question 1

Characteristics of wheeze

Answer 1

High pitched whistling sound made when breathing out (expiration)

Question 2

What is asthma

Answer 2

Asthma is a common lung condition that causes occasional breathing difficulties.

Question 3

Symptoms of Wheeze

Answer 3

Shortness of breath
High pitched sound

Question 4

Common causes of Wheeze

Answer 4

• Asthma
• Aspirating foreign objects in your lungs
• Bronchitis and Bronchiolitis
• Emphysema- lung condition makes you short of breath
• Cystic fibrosis - condition causes thick mucus to clog airway
• RSV
• Pneumonia
• Allergies
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - if smoke

Question 5

Treating viral induced wheeze

Answer 5

Reliever inhalers such as salbutamol as they are bronchodilaters. Use spacer

When using spacer administer then wait 5 beaths if they are over two or 10 breaths if they are under two

Can also be nebulised

Question 6

Symptoms of Asthma

Answer 6

wheezing (a whistling sound when breathing)
breathlessness
a tight chest – it may feel like a band is tightening around it
coughing

Question 7

Causes of asthma

Answer 7

Triggers

Common triggers:
Infections such as cold/flu
Allergies
Smokes
Emotion
Exercise

Question 8

Diagnosing Asthma

Answer 8

spirometry – you blow into a machine that measures how fast you can breathe out and how much air you can hold in your lungs

peak flow test – you blow into a handheld device that measures how fast you can breathe out, and this may be done several times over a few weeks to see if it changes over time

Question 9

Treatment for Asthma

Answer 9

Inhalers (Reliever inhalers or Preventer inhalers or combo of both )

Tablets such as hydrocortisone (steroidal medicine)

Leukotriene Receptor Antagonist

Theophylline/aminophylline

Question 10

Inhaler colours

Answer 10

Blue- Reliever
Brown-Preventer
Purple/Red- Combination