Respiratory Alterations-Ms. Teel

Respiratory Alterations-Ms. Teel

Respiratory Alterations-Ms. Teel brings in her 7-month-old infant for evaluation

Scenario 1

The respiratory disorder in this scenario is Asthma. The clinical presentation of a patient with the condition includes a chronic cough, chest tightness, and dyspnoea. The underlying pathology is limitation to airflow, chronic airway inflammation, and hyper responsiveness (Huether & McCance, 2012). Atopy is a major risk factor for asthma. The infant, in this case, has a medical history of eczema and allergy to amoxicillin hence more prone to the disease.

Pathophysiology

The underlying pathophysiology of asthma is a genetically determined propensity to produce IgE antibody. An encounter of a sensitized atopic patient to an allergen results in a two-phase response with release of inflammatory mediators that cause changes in the airway that culminate into bronchoconstriction. These airway changes are responsible for the clinical presentation of a chronic cough, chest tightness, and shortness of breath in asthmatics (Huether & McCance, 2012). The patient in this scenario has a nocturnal cough, which is most likely triggered by household dust and mites. The acute exacerbation may as well be due to a viral infection (Singh, 2011).

Risk Factors

Asthma is influenced by factors in the patient or from the environment. There is a genetic predisposition to asthma and its severity. A detailed family history of the patient will reveal any relatives who could be suffering from asthma. Farber and Boyette (2001) indicated that multiple genes could be involved in the pathophysiology of asthma. On the other hand, studies have shown that behavior is a key risk factor associated with this condition. For instance, early exposure to cow’s milk has been described as a risk factor for development of atopy and asthma (Farber & Boyette, 2001). Moreover, probiotics attaining a high lactobacillus load in the gut is considered prophylaxis against atopic disease.

Conclusively, asthma is a controllable obstructive airway disease that draws its etiology from the interplay between genetic and environmental factors. It is an important differential diagnosis for a persistent cough.

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Respiratory Alterations-Ms. Teel