NURS 6521N Advanced Pharmacology
Asthma: Chronic and Acute Asthma Exacerbation
Asthma is one of the most common lung disorders in the United
States and is classified as an obstructive lung disease (Huether
& McCance, 2012). Asthma can affect people of any age, although
most cases are diagnosed by the 25-years of age and those born
prematurely are at higher risk for developing asthma (Huether &
McCance, 2012). Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that
affects the bronchial mucosa, causing hyper responsiveness and
airway constriction (Huether & McCance, 2012). Asthma is
serious and can be life threatening if not managed properly
(American Lung Association [ALA], 2012). Unfortunately, there is no
cure for asthma, however proper management can allow those affected
to live a normal and healthy life (ALA, 2012). Asthma has a strong
genetic influence (Huether & McCance, 2012). The purpose of
this paper is to: describe the pathophysiological mechanisms of
chronic asthma and acute asthma exacerbation, explain changes noted
in arterial blood gas results during an exacerbation, explain how
genetics impact the pathophysiology of both chronic and acute
asthma, describe how diagnosis and treatment will be completed
based on the genetic factor, and present two mind maps that will
depict in detail the disease information on both. Acute Asthma
Exacerbation In acute asthma the airways will remain relatively
normal between exacerbations (New Medical Information and Health
Information [NMIHI], 2012). Exacerbations can occur at any given
time and are initiated by something the airway is sensitive to;
this is referred to as a “trigger” (ALA, 2012). The severity of
each exacerbation is determined by the presenting signs and
symptoms of the individual and lung assessment findings (Camargo,
Rachelefsky, & Schatz, 2009). The classifications of severity
include: mild, moderate, severe, and life threatening (Camargo,
Rachelefsky, & Schatz, 20009). Treatment is based on the
severity of the exacerbation
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ASTHMA: CHRONIC AND ACUTE 3 (Depner et al. 2013). The strong
genetic predisposition of asthma, when combined with environmental
factors can affect the pathophysiology and will be discussed in
detail (McPhee & Hammer, 2010). Pathophysiology of Acute Asthma
In an acute asthma exacerbation, the person with asthma will
unknowingly breathe in a “trigger”, which in turn causes
inflammation to the bronchial mucosa and hyper responsiveness of
the airways (Huether & McCance, 2012). When an exacerbation
first begins, B-cells are activated to produce IgE that is
antigen-specific. IgE molecules cross-link with the antigen on the
mast cell surface, resulting in mast cell degranulation along wit
the release of several inflammatory mediators (Huether &
McCance, 2012). Once released these mediators cause vasodilation,
increased capillary permeability, mucosal edema, bronc
NURS 6521N Advanced Pharmacology
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