Asthma Questions and Answers

Asthma plans should be provided to all individuals, regardless of their level of ignorance about drugs and treatment alternatives. While all action plans must include basic components such as dose, frequency of medicine administration, peak expiratory flow levels, and symptoms, asthma is extremely customized, with each patient having distinct health needs (Eldredge, Markham, Ruiter, Kok, & Parcel, 2016). The conversation between the physician and the patient allows the plan to be tailored to the individual and family’s contextual demands, and the session allows the provider to educate the cases on particular exposures such as triggers that may increase the flare-ups. The interaction also allows enhancing self-management competencies, including tying the plan with existing medical care elements.

Question 2

Besides dyspnea, adult onset asthma can be characterized by rhinorrhea, where a runny nose is an indication of the hypersecretion of mucus. Fever of over 100°F also indicates the definite diagnosis, especially of cough variant asthma. Yellowish sputum is also a common manifestation of allergic asthma, where the colored phlegm associated with the bronchial inflammation confirms a high concentration of live eosinophils (Ahmed, 2011).

Question 3

The differential diagnoses of asthma are pulmonary embolism and upper respiratory tract infection. Anxiety disorders such as stress also provoke attacks, where the emotions stimulate the production of histamine and leukotrienes that trigger physiological changes such as narrowing of airways associated with wheezing, which is the clinical hallmark of asthma (Shembel, 2016).

Question 4

The case should be categorized as mild persistent asthma

Question 5

The asthma is well controlled as the management has achieved the therapeutic goals of safety and efficiency, including the reduced reliance on drugs to prevent possibilities of adverse effects. The action plan has also realized the long-term aspiration of helping the patient maintain good lung functionalities, and thus improve quality of life and avoid hospital stay (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2007).

References

Ahmed, B. (2011). Meaning of Different Sputum Colors. Medicalopedia. Retrieved 27 August 2017, from https://medicalopedia.org/1175/meaning-of-different-sputum-colors/

Eldredge, L. K. B., Markham, C. M., Ruiter, R. A., Kok, G., & Parcel, G. S. (2016). Planning health promotion programs: an intervention mapping approach. John Wiley & Sons.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2007). Section 4, Stepwise Approach for Managing Asthma in Youths ≥12 Years of Age and Adults. Bethesda (Maryland). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7222/

Shembel, A. C. (2016). Underlying Mechanisms in Episodic Laryngeal Breathing Disorders. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 1(3), 83-93.