Asthma: Pathology and Contemporary Treatment Alternatives
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asthma is a complex disease on the rise in the United States. Most at risk include poor or inner city minorities that present with inordinately high rates of mortality resulting from the condition (CDC, 2005). Asthma may also be on the rise due to environmental factors including increased pollution and exposure to environmental toxins that may affect lung capacity (CDC, 2005; Hwang et. al, 2005; Yang, et. al, 1997; Wickman, et. al, 2003). Asthma is a serious, potentially life threatening condition for the millions of sufferers worldwide. Doctors are still working to determine the cause of this disease and finding new ways to treat it. While there is no cure for asthma yet, researchers have uncovered multiple treatment alternatives that help patients with asthma effectively control their condition. Education, public response and intervention are all critical success factors for predicting the quality of life for patients with asthma now and in the future. Research supports the use of a defined set of treatment protocols for assisting patients with asthma lead a better quality of life. The basis for treatment, anatomy and physiology of the respirato
Despite multiple contemporary treatment choices, managing acute severe asthma attacks still present a tremendous health challenge to health care professionals (Barnard, 2005). Contemporary guidelines for treating acute emergency attacks currently include treatment with oxygen and inhaled beta 2 agonists, which can be administered continuously to help preserve life in acute patients (Barnard, 532). Patients discharged after such treatment should also engage in review of current medications and consider "a short course of oral steroids, a written asthma action plan and detailed advice about deterioration that may occur within 48 hours" (Barnard, 533). ry tract and pathology of asthma in patients are all discussed in greater detail below. Exercise induced asthma is a form of asthma that results when the air present in the nose and sinuses isn't prepared appropriately to pass through other parts of the airway (Polk, 19). Normally this form of asthma is easier to treat than severe forms of asthma whose cause is unknown (Hogshead, 1989; Guyton, 1991). The currently body of literature available suggest that education in the classroom may also be an important avenue for teaching prevention and treatment in the future (West, 1990). It is important that researchers and doctors continue exploring new avenues for treating and preventing this insidious disease. Asthma is a complex disease involving structural and physiological components. Patients with asthma face a life long and often debilitating condition that under severe circumstances may result in increased morbidity. Fortunately there are many treatments currently available that effectively manage this condition. Contemporary management and treatment of asthma is based on empirical research that suggests multiple forms of medication for preventing and treating acute asthma attacks. The lungs consist of several anatomical structures including the bronchial tubes that enable expansion and constriction of the muscles in the lungs and chest. These tubes consist of muscles that allow air to pass deep in to the lungs. Bronchial tubes consistently change width, increasing in girth as an individual inhales and becoming narrower upon exhalation. In a person with a well functioning respiratory system all parts of the airway function synergistically to ensure maximum intake of oxygen and exhalation of carbon dioxide with each breath.
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Approximate Word count = 2822
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)
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