Paper Example on Medicine-Origin and Chemical Treatment of Asthma

Introduction

The term "asthma" is a Greek word which means "short of breath." In the ancient Greek, anyone who suffered breathlessness was referred to as asthmatic. Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs which inflames the airways in the lungs making them very narrow and thereby causing a person to cough and experience tightness in the chest and shortness of breath. This paper examines the origin of asthma and its chemical treatment and after that gives a concise conclusion.

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Origin of Asthma

The word asthma originated from the Greek language; it was used to refer to a human disorder which causes the infected person to cough and feel the tightness of the chest and problems in breathing (Wagh, et al. 34). The term asthma was first defined by Henry Salter in his book, "On Asthma and its Treatment." Hyde described asthma as paroxysmal dyspnoea of a unique behavior with intervals of normal respiration between consecutive attacks. He derived the concept of a disorder which makes the airways narrow as a result of the contractions of smooth muscles. Hyde suggested black coffee as the efficient and effective cure for the asthmatic spasms. According to Hyde, the black coffee contains large amounts of theobromine which is a basic derivative of theophylline. He also suggested the theophylline as a good treatment for curbing asthmatic infections. Dr. Hyde himself had asthma, so he was able to clearly describe the various signs and symptoms of asthma from his own experience.

In the late 19th century, physicians recognized asthma as a distinct disease on its own, having a distinct set of causes, signs, and symptoms, and procedure of treatment. Sir William Osler explained the meaning of asthma from various points of view as shown below:

• Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bronchioles.
• It has distinct sputum with rounded gelatinous substances and octahedral crystals of Leyden and Curschmann spirals.
• A particular type of swelling of the bronchioles.
• A spasm of the bronchiole muscles.
• A disorder which may begin from childhood and last into old age
• A disorder which resembles hay fever.
• A peculiar and extraordinary situations with paroxysm such as the violent emotion, cold infection, effects of atmosphere or climate, some foods or poor diet.

Sir William generated these clinical observations in connection with his broad knowledge of physiology and pathology. During this period, asthma was treated as a human disease of "bronchospasm" using bronchodilators such as the ephedrine, theophylline, adrenaline, etc.

By the 20th century, isoprenaline, salbutamol, terbutaline, fenoterol, and remiterol medications were used as either oral or by inhalation. However, the excessive usage of the bronchodilators was a suspected cause of the asthmatic deaths in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Australia in the mid-1960s and another incidence in 1980s in New Zealand. Singh, (Preeti, et al. 23)

These asthmatic deaths drew the attention of the doctors and researchers about the effective treatment of asthma since very little was known about the liability of the airways to the bronchospasms. From the 1920s, doctors knew that the asthma deaths were as a result of the swelling and the adverse changes in the structures of the airways inside the human lungs. However, little was understood why this phenomenon happened, and its association with the episodic bronchospasm remained a mystery. Asthma was extensively managed as an acute human disease of the episodic exacerbations (Capra, Lucetta, et al. 56)

In 1921, Kustner and Prausnitz discovered regain, a serum substance which could transfer an allergy passively to a particular agent. Subsequently, this discovery paved the way for more research on the matter. As a result of the comprehensive study and research, Ishizaka and Johansson identified IgE as the 5th immunoglobulin and provided the significant link. It later came into knowledge that most of the patients who had asthma exhibited a high susceptibility to an allergy to a large variety of outdoor and indoor agents. The agents of allergy that were discovered included dust particles, animal proteins, pollen grains, etc.

Asthma as an Inflammatory Disorder

By 1980s, clinicians and doctors gained a clearer understanding about the way I which allergens caused the mast cells of the airways to release the mediator chemical. According to the research findings, the mediator chemicals led to the recruitment of basophils, eosinophils, and the mononuclear cells in the late reactions. The response is a wild reaction by the airways to the irritating stimuli, a condition popularly known as the bronchiole hyperresponsiveness. The research also found out an analysis of why the sodium cromoglicate, a stabilizing agent to the mast cells, attenuated the allergen-induced the early bronchoconstrictor responses and the late bronchoconstrictor responses. (R Naik, et al. 13).

In the 1970s, clinical experiments noted that the inhaled corticosteroids such as the beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) could control asthma in a very efficient and effective way (Wagh, et al 65). According to the research experiment, the BDP reduced inflammation of the mast cell and the mononuclear cell, the airway eosinophilic and also abrogated the reactions in the late asthmatic responses thereby creating a mechanistic reason for their application in the control of asthma.

Symptoms of Asthma

Asthma is a very dangerous disease which inflames the airways making it very difficult to breathe. The following are the major symptom: shortness of breath, wheezing, and the chest tightness. The symptoms can be more or less severe in different people.

Chemical Treatment of Asthma

Severe asthma treatment is done through long-term control medications such as the leukotriene modifiers, inhaled corticosteroids, inhaled long-acting beta-agonists, inhaled long-acting anticholinergics, theophylline (theochron), cromolyn sodium, and the oral corticosteroids.

The quick-relief medications for relieving asthma attacks include the inhaled short-acting beta-agonists, inhaled short-acting anticholinergics or a combination of an inhaled short-acting beta-agonists and the inhaled short-acting anticholinergics. With more research and development in the medical field, newer and advanced treatments have brought severe asthma under control. The following are some of the new asthma chemical treatments.

Biologics

The biologic drugs work with the immune system of patients to treat asthma by blocking the chemical activities of the immune system which causes the airways to react to the irritating stimuli hypersensitively. Thereby, the airways are prevented from swelling. The drugs are very effective in preventing asthma attacks and can also make the existing responses milder and manageable.

There are four approved monoclonal antibodies which are currently used for treating severe asthma. They include omalizumab, reslizumab, benralizumab, and mepolizumab. Omalizumab treats the allergy triggered severe asthma. The other drugs such as the mepolizumab,benralizumab, and reslizumab are majorly used to treat eosinophilic asthma, severe asthma which is caused by a type of the white blood cell known as an eosinophil. (Root-Bernstein, Robert, 45). The drugs are administered through an IV into the blood vein or by injection. Other monoclonal antibodies called tezepelumab is currently under research.

Tiotropium

It is also known as the Spiriva. It is an inhaled medication used for treating the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In the year 2015, the FDA approved it to be used in the treatment of asthma. According to research, tiotropium improves the efficiency and effective control of asthma when it is added to high doses of the inhaled corticosteroids and the short-acting beta-agonists.

Leukotriene Modifiers

It comprises a group of drugs which work by blocking the actions of leukotriene. The chemicals tighten and narrow the airways during the allergy-induced asthma attacks. There are three approved leukotriene modifiers. They include montelukast, zileuton, and zafirlukast. The drugs are administered through the mouth.

Bronchial Thermoplasty

The bronchial thermoplastic is a surgical technique for controlling severe asthma which has gone beyond control by other treatment options. In carrying this technique, radiofrequency energy is applied into the airway thereby generating heat. The heat generated kills some of the smooth muscles located along the lining of the airway and prevents the constrictions of muscles which would otherwise, narrow the opening. The technique is carried out in three sessions, three weeks apart from each other.

Conclusion

Asthma is a chronic lung disease which causes the narrowing of airspaces leading to breathing difficulties, wheezing, and tightened chest. It is caused by the hypersensitivity to allergic reactions caused by allergens such as dust, pollen grains, etc., and some types of the white blood cells called eosinophils. Asthma is incurable but can be chemically controlled by either long-term treatment or short-term treatment techniques.

Works Cited

Capra, Lucetta, et al. "The origins of health and disease: the influence of maternal diseases and lifestyle during gestation." Italian journal of Pediatrics 39.1 (2013): 7.

R Naik, Suresh, and Santosh M Wala. "Inflammation, allergy and asthma, complex immune origin diseases: mechanisms and therapeutic agents." Recent patents on inflammation & allergy drug discovery 7.1 (2013): 62-95.

Root-Bernstein, Robert. "A modular hierarchy-based theory of the chemical origins of life-based on molecular complementarity." Accounts of chemical research 45.12 (2012): 2169-2177.

Singh, Preeti, et al. "Platelet-activating factor (PAF)-antagonists of natural origin." Fitoterapia 84 (2013): 180-201.

Wagh, Vijay D. "Propolis: a wonder bees product and its pharmacological potentials." Advances in pharmacological sciences 2013 (2013).