Extrinsic Asthma

Asthma is a chronic illness that is widespread over the United States with 24 million people affected; and 7 million alone are children (Morris, 2015). With this disease, the airways are constantly inflamed; and when a trigger is inhaled or presented, inflammation increases causing distress in the airways. The airways then constrict and breathing becomes a challenge. Asthma occurs in “attacks” and common symptoms include wheezing, coughing, and dyspnea (Asthma: Overview, 2014). Although there is still research being done on this illness, there is a myriad of information on the causes, management, and clinical findings. To go into depth, asthma is a disease that affects the airways, which is the pathway for oxygen to enter the lungs or

Intrinsic asthma is also known as non-allergic asthma, which is induced by factors such as physical or emotional stress, medications, and bacterial or viral inflammations. Laughing and crying, aspirin, and infections like sinusitis or pneumonia could elicit an attack. Extrinsic factors, or allergic asthma, are triggered by allergens that are inhaled into the airways. These allergens can be dust, pollen, cigarette smoke, dander, and even perfume. In some cases, a favorite scent can become a trigger (Morris, 2015) or a pet such as a dog or cat. These components separately or all together can cause stress on the body, which pushes the airways to fight back with an inflammatory response – in which the airways close up and attacks strike. Asthma is an incurable disease, but throughout the years, many different ways of management have been

Types of drug therapy include inhalers, oral drugs, and even intravenous drugs. These drugs fall under two categories – long-term and quick-relief. Long-term drugs prevent symptoms from occurring by alleviating inflammation of the airways and/or opening the airways. According to AAAAI (2015), there are inhaled corticosteroids or an injectable antibody to use as long-term asthma management to prevent attacks. Quick-relief medications, also known as rescue medications, are bronchodilators that open the airways to deliver temporary relief of sudden asthmatic symptoms. Medications vary from patient to patient; and what works best for one does not mean it will work the same for the next patient. Another method in managing asthma is to avoid triggers. Each patient will have his or her very own set of triggers; so going to an allergist is suggested to pinpoint allergen causes of attacks (AAAAI, 2015). Relaxation techniques may be taught to those who have flare-ups due to stress; and a management plan will have to be set for those with severe asthma. Another device used for management is a peak flow meter, which is a portable device that measures how well a