Nursing Considerations for Acute & Chronic Asthma in Ethnic Patients - Essay Sample

Introduction

Asthma is a major health issue for many patients and their families. Its ability to interfere with the optimal operation of the respiratory system may be fatal if not well attended (Puranik Forno, Celedon, & Bush, 2017). As such, it is essential for a practicing nurse to understand the pathophysiology of both chronic asthma and acute asthma in regards to the ethnicity of patients for appropriate and prompt treatment.

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Pathophysiological Mechanisms of Acute Asthma

Acute asthma is episodic. Such characteristic suggests that it occurs when there is a sudden onset of the symptoms of the disease, which results in worsening as the affected person begins to feel the full impact of the event. Invariably, the episode takes place as a result of exposure to triggers that block the bronchial tubes from the effective movement of gases into and outside the body (Castillo, Peters, & Busse, 2017). The blockage of the airway creates arterial blood gas tensions in the respiratory tract. The tensions occur in that there is a reduction of oxygen in arterial blood, which results in a corresponding rise in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the system. As a consequence, the patient develops hypoxemia, meaning that the oxygen is depleted to a level where normal functioning of the lungs cannot be guaranteed in the individual experiencing the episode (Bush, 2019). The outcome of such a situation is that the patient fails to breathe optimally, hampering the functioning of the lungs.

Pathophysiological Mechanisms of Chronic Asthma

Chronic Asthma exacerbation relates to the long-term manifestations of symptoms of asthma among the previously affected individuals. It results when there is airway inflammation, airflow obstruction, and bronchoconstriction due to hypersensitivity resulting from infections from pathogens such as viruses. The prognosis of the disease may also be affected by the presence of other ailments, which not only causes the triggers but also influence the extent to which the episodes impact the respiratory system of the patients. However, it is not obvious that inflammation, hypersensitivity and blockage of the respiratory tubes work together to actualize the exacerbation (Bush, 2019). This is because other factors trigger such episodes.

Ethnicity and the Pathophysiology of Acute Asthma and Chronic Asthma

Ethnicity and the Pathophysiology of Acute Asthma

Ethnicity plays a vital role in predisposing asthmatic individuals to episodes that exacerbate the disorder once it has taken root. Ethnicity in the United States is strongly correlated with socioeconomic status with studies indicating that children of color or those from disadvantaged economic backgrounds experience more common asthma attacks. The same study also reported that African-Americans and other minority groups make more frequent visits to hospitals as a result of attacks (Puranik et al., 2017). This implies that the risk of attacks is higher in minority groups in the country.

Ethnicity and the Pathophysiology of Chronic Asthma

Like in the case of acute asthma, minority groups are also more susceptible to the long-term effects of the disease due to disadvantaged socioeconomic factors. Studies have shown the people who live in low-income neighborhoods experience higher morbidity of the disease and also have a higher chance of developing chronic conditions such as eosinophilia. Ethnicity has further been linked to resistance to specific treatments (Puranik et al., 2017; Ainley, Maisel, & Seeley, 2015). Such outcomes create room for the episodes to degenerative into more life-threating conditions due to inadequate response to standard therapies.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of acute asthma can be made by examining the symptoms of the patient relating to the respiratory system. These symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pains, and shortness of breath, among others. Afterward, the examination of airflow obstruction may be done to ascertain the presence of the disease and the progression of the symptoms should be monitored to detect any variation while conducting treatment in the short-term (Bush, 2017).

However, for chronic asthma, it is crucial observations of the symptoms and assessment of airway blockage be supported by extensive tests to avoid misdiagnosis. Testing for airway inflammation through determination of atopic status, and blood eosinophil count may be effective in this regard.

Treatment

Administration of corticosteroids and other intravenous drugs that reduce inflammation have proved effective in treating acute asthma (Fergeson, Patel, & Lockey, 2017). These drugs can be used to treat patients irrespective of their ethnicity. However, modification of the environment in which people, especially minority backgrounds, should be done as exposure to environmental factors aggravates the morbidity of asthma, which can lead to chronic forms (Castillo et al., 2017). The reason for this is that socioeconomic gives advantages to certain ethnicities.

Symptoms

• Airway obstruction
• Atopic Starts
• Blood eosinophil count

References

Ainley, A., Maisel, T., & Seeley, A. (2015). The impact of ethnicity on patients presenting with acute asthma exacerbation: The experiences of an inner city district general hospital. European Respiratory Journal, 46(59), 3592-3597. doi:10.1183/13993003.congress-2015.pa3592

Bush, A. (2017). Asthma: What's new, and what should be old but is not! Pediatric Respirology and Critical Care Medicine, 1(1), 2-10. doi:10.4103/prcm.prcm_11_16

Bush, A. (2019). Pathophysiological mechanisms of asthma. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 7(68), 1-17. doi:10.3389/fped.2019.00068

Castillo, J. R., Peters, S. P., & Busse, W. W. (2017). Asthma exacerbations: Pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, 5(4), 918-927. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2017.05.001

Fergeson, J. E., Patel, S. S., & Lockey, R. F. (2017). Acute asthma, prognosis, and treatment. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 139(2), 438-447. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2016.06.054

Forno, E., Celedon, J. C., Puranik, S., & Bush, A. (2017). Predicting asthma exacerbations in children. American Journal of Respiratory and Clinical Care Medicine, 195(7), 854-859. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.1164%2Frccm.201606-1213PP