Pathophysiology and Pharmacology of Asthma: Case Study

Assessment: Assignment 2 Case Study
Topic: Pathophysiology and Pharmacology
Tutor:
Medication:
 Salbutamol
 Prednisolone
 Ipratropium
Signs and symptoms
 Coughing during laughing
 Shortness of breath
 Agitation
 Speaking in phrases at the time of admission
 Presence of audible wheeze
 Problem in playing sports
 Increase in distress
 Tracheal tug
 Use of single words with major difficulty

Introduction
Benji is 11 years old being diagnosed with asthma. Benji
presented to the hospital with a moderate exacerbation of asthma.
Asthma refers to a chronic inflammatory disorder that affects the
airways located in the lungs and is primarily characterized by the
presence of recurring and fluctuating symptoms due to reversible
obstruction of the airflow. This paper will discuss the
pathophysiology of asthma including asthma reaction on the body
and how asthma affects Benji’s respiratory system. This paper will
also discuss the pharmacology management in the case to Benji’s
asthma such as; anti-inflammatory medication is prescribed such as
salbutamol, prednisolone, ipratropium and mechanism of actions to
relive the body system. In addition, signs and symptoms including,
shortness of breath, agitation and wheezing presented in Benji’s
case and how anti-inflammatory will improve those signs and
symptoms will be analyzed.
Signs and symptom
Airway inflammation is the primary reason that contributes to
asthma. Airway inflammation is the interaction of numerous cells
and multiple microorganisms that interact with the airways that
result in various features of bronchial inflammation and airflow
limitations (Schleimer, 2016). An analysis of the case study
suggests the likelihood of Benzi to suffer from viral infection. This
can possibly be accredited to the fact that his drug chart comprised
of salbutamol and cough syrup, and did not contain any antifungal

or antibiotic medication. It has often been established that
presence of either bacterial or viral infection in the upper portion
of the respiratory tract generally worsens the manifestation of
asthma. Thus, his current health condition can be attributed to
absence of antiviral medication. The signs and symptoms
associated with airway inflammation are agitation, wheeze, and
shortness of breath (Schleimer, 2016). The signs and symptoms
observed in Benzi are usually reported by all asthma patients.
However, difference lies in the condition being either chronic or
acute, and the reason for the onset of asthma. The airway
inflammation pattern in asthma varies since while some patients
experience intermittent, other experience persistent, exercise-
associated, aspirin-sensitive or severe conditions (Ohira, 2016).
Coughing- related to asthma
Coughing related to asthma is a common symptom reported
by patients, as found in Benzi and refers to the presence of dry and
non-productive cough. Under most circumstances, such patients
are not able to expel any form of mucus from their respiratory
system and eventually manifest other classic asthma symtoms, such
as shortness of breath or wheezing. Benzi reported all of the
aforementioned three symptoms. Cough related asthma is
commonly referred to as chronic cough and suggests that presence
of cough in patients. which lasts for an estimated 6-8 weeks.
Coughing, after the onset of asthma occurs both during day and
night (Song et al., 2017). When manifested at night, the symptom
brings about a disruption of normal sleep patterns. It is also
reported by patients that the severity of cough increases with
exercise, thus referred to as exercise-induced asthma. The same
was reported by Benzi who suggested that he faced problems at the
time of playing soccer and also avoided running, in order to
prevent his cough. Cough has been found to begin after an
individual has been administered beta blockers that are generally

used for providing treatment to high blood pressure, heart failure,
heart disease, palpitations, migraines, and other conditions.
Furthermore, it has been found that exposure to outdoor or indoor
allergens act in the form of trigger and also increase the likelihood
of the patient from being affected by other allergic diseases
(Kanemitsu et al., 2016). On analyzing the case study, it can be
suggested that cough related asthma is also responsible for
increasing sensitivity of the airways, and brings about narrowing
and swelling of the airways, thereby disrupting the flow of
respiratory air. Time and again it has been found that health
professionals find it difficult to diagnose cough related asthma
since appearance of cough might be the only presenting complaint
amid the patients, and it is also manifested when people suffer
from cough related to postnatal drip or bronchitis.
Agitation- related to asthma
Anxiety and stress have been found to increase the likelihood
of people from being affected by asthma attach and act in the form
of triggers. Excess stress is directly responsible for increasing
feelings of panic attack or anxiety amid patients. Furthermore,
among patients who are suffering from agitation or panic attack,
the release of stress hormones prepares them to either fight or run
away from emergency situations (the ‘fight or flight’
response). This in turn is concomitant with the increase in heart
rate, tension in the respiratory muscles, and shallow and fast
breathing patterns, also referred to as hyperventilation (Cozzi et
al., 2017). Therefore, this results in an alteration in the breathing
patterns and increases the risk of being affected by asthma classic
symptoms such as, tightness in the chest and coughing. Agitation
related asthma has been reported amid children under
circumstances when they are at a risk of facing asthma attack due
to the presence of background stress in their life. Furthermore,
young people and teenagers also deal with examination problems,
and peer pressure that adds to their agitation, and results in their