The asthma condition of the 18-year-old college student is obstructive. Based on the history of the students’ report, it is evident that the student experiences episodic attacks of shortness of breath, wheezing as well as dry cough which are some of the symptoms that are prevalent in obstructive asthma. Obstruction asthma commonly occurs when swelling and inflammation cause the airways to become blocked or narrowed posing difficulties in expelling air from the lungs. As opined by Barnes and Drazen (2012), obstructive asthma causes chest tightness and dry coughs which are prevalent signs and symptoms in the 18-year-old student.
Asthma pathophysiology is important because it assists people to understand ways in which asthma can be diagnosed and managed. The asthma pathophysiology comprises of numerous pathophysiologic factors such as bronchiolar inflammation that constrict airways that are manifested as wheezing, breath shortness, and continuous coughing (Siroux et al., 2015). The condition can also affect the bronchi, trachea as well as bronchioles. Excessive mucus, edema, bronchospasms, and muscle damage can also contribute to bronchoconstriction with bronchospasm which causes the airways to narrow.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Spirometry is one of the confirmatory tests that can be used to diagnose asthma. It is done when the patient blows into a mouthpiece connected to a spirometer (Licskai et al., 2012). The doctor uses this information to determine the amount of air inhaled, exhaled, or the speed at which the patient can inhale. The outcome of the test also assists the doctor to determine if a person has asthma or ways to manage asthma. If the results from the spirometer reveal a decreased lung function, the doctor provides a treatment plan for the patient such as providing bronchodilator medicine that opens the airways. After some time, the test is carried out again to see if the functions of the lungs have improved. During the checkup, the spirometry test is also done to monitor the changes in lung function.
References
Barnes, P. J., & Drazen, J. M. (2018). Pathophysiology of asthma. In Asthma and COPD (pp. 343-359). Academic Press.
Licskai, C. J., Sands, T. W., Paolatto, L., Nicoletti, I., & Ferrone, M. (2016). Spirometry in primary care: An analysis of spirometry test quality in a regional primary care asthma program. Canadian respiratory journal, 19(4), 249-254.
Siroux, V., Boudier, A., Bousquet, J., Bresson, J. L., Cracowski, J. L., Ferran, J., ... & Nadif, R. (2015). Phenotypic determinants of uncontrolled asthma. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 124(4), 681-687.
