ILOILO DOCTORS COLLEGE

COLLEGE OF NURSING
West Avenue, Molo, Iloilo City

Eduard Reyjell Montano

BSN 2-F

1. Define exacerbation of Asthma. What is its most common cause?

- An asthma exacerbation is an acute or subacute episode of progressive worsening of symptoms of asthma, including shortness of
breath, wheezing, cough, and chest tightness. Exacerbations are marked by decreases from baseline in objective measures of
pulmonary function, such as peak expiratory flow rate.

An overly sensitive immune system makes your airways (bronchial tubes) become inflamed and swollen when you're exposed to
certain triggers. Asthma triggers vary from person to person. Common asthma attack triggers include:
 Pollen, pets, mold and dust mites
 Upper respiratory infections
 Tobacco smoke
 Inhaling cold, dry air
 Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
 Stress

2. What may be the reasons for the patient to acquire this condition?

 She stays near the garment factory and has a cat at home.
  She smokes half a pack of cigarettes per day and an occasional alcoholic drinker.

 She had no travel history in the last 30 days but had attended a dinner party last week.

 Both of her parents have no known medical illness, but she has a cousin who suffers from bronchial asthma and is frequently admitted
to the hospital.

3. Are patient’s vital signs normal? State your rationale. Based on admitting diagnosis of the patient. How is asthma categorized?
Describe the characteristics of each classification.

- Yes, her vital signs are normal, because the patient was on Salbutamol and Budesonide inhalers, 200mcg when necessary and 200mcg
once at night respectively for her bronchial asthma. Asthma is classified into four categories based upon frequency of symptoms and
objective measures, such as peak flow measurements and/or spirometry results. These categories are: mild intermittent; mild persistent;
moderate persistent; and severe persistent. MILD (intermittent) asthma means you experience symptoms, such as wheezing and
coughing, up to 2 days per week. MILD (persistent) symptoms occur more than twice a week but less than once a day MODERATE
(persistent) if occurs daily. SEVERE (persistent) symptoms that persist throughout the day and night.

4. What is the difference between allergies and asthma?

- Allergies are caused when the immune system becomes hypersensitive to an allergen, causing the immune system to act as if it was under
threat. Asthma is a respiratory disorder that restricts the airways and makes it difficult to breathe.

5. Discuss the prevalence of asthma and the potential long-term complications of asthma if not treated.
- Asthma causes ongoing chronic inflammation of the airway. This can lead to permanent structural changes in the airways, or airway
remodeling, also lead to lung scarring and loss of the surface layer of the lungs. The tubes of the lungs become thicker and less air is able
to pass through. The airway muscles become enlarged and less able to relax. This lung damage may be permanent and irreversible.