Introduction
This report draws attention on asthma because it is a common lung disease in American affecting millions of both old and young people. However, it is important to conduct much research on this disease because the rate of people suffering from it is continuing to increase. This is so because research conducted in 2009 indicated that 1 out of every 10 children had asthma while 1 out of every 12 adults had the disease. It was essential for this report to focus on asthma because dissimilar studies indicate that more than 8.5 million children in America suffer from the disease thus making it to be among the most life threatening disease in the region(World Health Organization, 2007). Furthermore, asthma turned out to be the most encountered chronic illness among children hence affecting their school attendance. Apart from that, asthma affects the American economy negatively whereby it spends more than $20.7 billion annually. The disease impacts children negatively by making them report the highest rate of absenteeism at school, which leads to their poor performance hence encouraging poor social and intellectual interaction. Finally, it is essential to handle the issue of asthma in America because it is responsible of high mobility rates in the region, where studies indicated that in 2007, it caused more than 3, 447 deaths. Internationally, the disease affects more than 300 million people causing more than 250, 000 deaths annually (Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 2012).
Background of the disease
Asthma is a Greek terminology, which means a short breath, thus making any patient with breathing complications to be suffering from asthma. However, Salter redefined the term in later 19th century, claiming that the disease results from the narrowing of airways after the contraction of smooth muscle. However, research indicates that the initial incidence of asthma occurred in China in 2600 BC, detected in a patient characterized with noisy breathing. However, Hippocrates was the first person to use the term asthma in 400BC, making him to be the initial physician to discover the relationship between surrounding environment and respiratory disease. Later on, the Roman doctors came up with their own definition for asthma claiming that it makes an individual to gasp thus making whizzing noise while breathing. Such patients encounter problems in their breathing after running or undertaking heavy tasks. Initially, they used epinephrine injections and aminophylline tablets in treating asthma and they were very effective while dealing with chronic asthma attacks (World Health Organization, 2007).
Importantly, individual should note that there are dissimilar substances responsible for triggering asthma symptoms. The commonly known substances that trigger asthma symptoms include animal hair, dust, fluctuation in weather, chemical present in the air, mold, pollen, participating in heavy exercise, tobacco smoke and family history of allergies among others. Additionally, it is true that any person is at a risk of contracting asthma including infant, children, adolescents and adults. In most cases, asthma is inheritable whereby; dissimilar researches indicate that asthma is common among certain families. Apart from being inheritable, it is also true that there are some environmental factors such as pollutants, allergens and automobile emissions responsible of causing asthma among individuals (Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 2012).Concurrently, researches conducted by dissimilar medical professionals in America indicate that there are different types of asthma. These include the Allergic asthma, where by presence of allergens in the environment triggers it. In most cases, people suffering from this type of asthma tend to have family history of allergens entailing hay fever and eczema among others. Allergic asthma tends to be seasonal since it highly affects people during spring and early autumn. The commonly identified trigger for this type of asthma includes common cold, flu, sinus and exercise among others (Halterman, Aligne&Auinger, 2000).
Remarkably, there is non-allergic asthma, which results from the non-allergic asthma triggers such as wood smoke, fresh paint and perfumes among others. Additionally, there is nocturnal asthma, which refers to asthma, whose symptoms worsen in the middle of the night, in most cases in between 2am and 4am. Notably, this type of asthma is not specific since it is capable of attacking individuals with any type of asthma. The most discovered factors capable of causing nocturnal asthma attack include sinus infection together with postnasal drip. Moreover, some people suffer from occupational asthma, which occurs after exposing an individual to substances that trigger the symptoms at workplace. For individuals to lower such incidences, it is essential for them to decrease the rate of exposure to such triggers while in their working place (Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 2012).
Notably, there are dissimilar symptoms shown by individuals suffering from asthma. This is so because there are some people who have long-term difficulty in breathing, while others have short-term attacks. This is a clear indication that asthma attack can last for minutes to days and it tends to worsen on the restriction of airflows. The commonly noted symptoms of asthma include an individual coughing without the production of sputum, encountering intercostal retractions, experiencing shortness of breath and the problem increasing while exercising and wheezing (Halterman, Aligne&Auinger, 2000). Additionally, asthma attacks tend to be worse in the night and early morning, sometimes it disappears on its own without getting medication, using drugs that opens the airways can better the situation, breathing in cold air accelerates it, exercising increases it and it increases with heartburns. Additionally, the disease has some emergency symptoms such as both the face and lips turning bluish, the level of alertness among the patients lowering, encountering problems while breathing, experiencing rapid pulse, sweating and increased rate of anxiety due to shortness in breathing. Apart from that, other symptoms might include the patient experiencing abnormal breathing patterns, sometimes breathing stops, some chest pain and feeling tightness in the chest (World Health Organization, 2007).
Current therapies & prognosis of patients
It is important for asthma patients to note that it is easy to control asthma but not cure it. Therefore, this will help them know that it is normal to have trouble while sleeping, but when they take appropriate control, they will lower the rates of visiting hospitals and emergency rooms. Therefore, the following are some of the current therapies administered to asthma patients. Initially, there are anti-inflammatories drugs, which are most effective to asthma patients since they lower the rate of swelling and release of mucus in the airways. Consequently, this makes the airways to be less sensitive thus lowering their level of reacting to triggers. Patients should ensure that they take drugs daily and they will start to feel their effectiveness after some weeks (Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 2012). Additionally, there is bronchodilator, which refers to the drugs that relax muscle bands surrounding the airways. The drugs are also responsible of opening up the airways thus allowing sufficient flow of air. Furthermore, there are long-term asthma control medications, which include inhaled corticosteroids, leukotriene modifiers, long-acting beta agonists, combination inhalers and theophylline. Quick-relief medications are also essential in administering asthma therapy and they include short-acting beta agonist, ipratropium, oral and intravenous corticosteroids. There are allergy medications such as allergy shots, omalizumab, oral and nasal spray and bronchial thermoplastic among others (World Health Organization, 2007).
Conclusion and discussion
This research indicates that asthma is a common chronic disease among the American population affecting both children and adults. Furthermore, the rate of asthma infection has dramatically increased in America thus being a major cause of deaths. Notably, the increasing rate of asthma and related deaths has increased the efforts among health institutions to address the issue around the state. This is so because dissimilar federal agencies, community-based organizations and professional associations are drawing much attention on lowering the rate of new asthma infections. The state decided to do so because the disease has been affecting its economy negatively. Apart from that, other innovative groups are collaborating with the aim of lowering the rate of asthma as well as increase its management among patients. The government is further calling for schools and community based organizations to combine their efforts so that they can support a healthy environment as well as improve self-management among children with asthma. The government further insists of developing a national tracking system so that it can be able to record all incidences of asthma attack, prevalence and exposure. Finally, it is planning to conduct more research for them to discover factors that contribute to the onset of asthma and understand how to deter them.
References
World Health Organization (2007).Global surveillance, prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases: a comprehensive approach.
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics (2012).America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being.Washington, DC: U.S.
Halterman JS, Aligne CA, Auinger P. (2000).Inadequate therapy for asthma among children in the United States.Pediatrics 105(1):272-276.
