clinical symposia - respiratory strand Flashcards
(130 cards)
What are symptoms of asthma?
Wheeze, shortness of breath, chest tightness, cough (particularly at night or in early morning), difficulty sleeping, chest pain, vomiting, tremor/hoarse voice
What structures are affected by asthma? How?
- inflammation of the airway
- hyper-reactive smooth muscle
- increased basal tone (increased contraction of vessels)
- mucus hypersecretion
- mucosal oedema (build up of tissue fluid in the mucosa)
Is asthma a restrictive or obstructive pulmonary disease?
Obstructive
The lungs are unable to expel air effectively during exhalation
What would you predict the FEV1/FVC ratio to be?
Reduced
As with all obstructive lung disease
Is there likely to be any significant airway reversibility?
Yes
Although the airway narrowing is recurring, treatment can reverse this.
How is asthma monitored?
Spirometry
Used to measure narrowing of the airways before and after medication.
What signs of asthma may be elicited?
- FEV1/FVC ratio (reduced, measured through spirometry)
- FeNO test (measures levels of NO in breath showing lung inflammation)
- Reduced peak flow compared to other individuals of the same age, sex and height
Why may someone with asthma present with a hoarse voice or a tremor?
- overuse of beta agonists
- overuse of steroids
(Beta agonists can cause a tremor and steroids can cause oral candida, especially if technique is poor)
What is a feature of life-threatening asthma?
Paradoxical pulse
this is a large decrease in systolic pressure and pulse wave amplitude during inspiration
What is immediate treatment for an asthma attack?
- oxygen - aim for saturation of 94-98%
- salbutamol 5mg via an oxygen driven nebuliser
- ipratropium bromide 0.5mg
- prednisolone tablets 40-50mg or IV hydrocortisone
- no sedatives
- chest x-ray
What triggers asthma?
- tobacco smoke
- allergens such a dust mites and pets
- pests
- mould
How can asthma be managed?
Treatment such as relievers or preventers
What are examples of reliever treatment for asthma?
Beta-2 adrenoceptor agonists such as salbutamol
- stimulation of airway B2 adrenoreceptors results in relaxation of bronchiole smooth muscle
Antimuscarinics such as ipratropium bromide
- inhibit muscrarinic receptors on smooth muscle causing relaxation of bronchiole smooth muscle
What is an example of a preventer treatment for asthma?
Glucocorticoids
- bind to cytosolic receptors and affect gene transaction and transcription
- production of potent anti-inflammatory agents and reduce airway hyper-resposonsiveness
Describe the difference between asthma and COPD
- nearly all COPD patients smoke
- symptoms under 35 more common in asthma
- chronic productive cough more common in COPD
- breathlessness is persistent and progressive in COPD
- variability is more common in asthma
What are the two types of asthma?
- extrinsic (childhood, family history, episodic, positive skin conditions)
- intrinsic (adulthood, negative skin test, no clear precipitating factors)
What are risk factors of asthma?
- genes
- maternal smoking
- pollution
- obesity
What reduces asthma risk?
- breast feeding
- early exposure to animals
what kind of pulmonary disease is COPD
obstructive pulmonary disease
is there any reversibility in COPD
no
is COPD of slow or fast progression?
slowly progressive
significant airflow obstruction may be present before person aware
how does COPD affect the airways
- chronic inflammation
- large and small airway narrowing
what are 2 the symptoms of COPD
- abnormal mucous (due to irritation/ infection)
- cough (smokers cough)
- breathlessness (dyspnoea)
- sputum production (green)
- wheeze
what is there main risk factor for COPD?
smoking