Challenge and Response to Body Integrity

Running head: CHALLENGE AND RESPONSE TO BODY INTEGRITY 1
Challenge and Response to Body Integrity
Student’s Name
University

CHALLENGE AND RESPONSE TO BODY INTEGRITY 2
Question one: The type of asthma that Tegan Smith is likely to have suffered
From the information in the case study, Tegan is suffering from allergic asthma which is
characterised by sensitivity to certain allergies that make the immune system to overreact leading
to tightened muscles around the airway thus making the airways inflamed and flooding with
thick mucus (Tippets & Guilbert, 2009). The simple symptoms of this type of asthma are allergic
responses like wheezing, fatigue, cough and stuffy nose. This reactions also lead to watery eyes
and postnasal drainage when the level of the allergy is too much for the body system. This type
of problem is related to family history of allergies as seen in the case of Tegan where her mother
had a history of allergy, sinusitis and nasal polyps. The allergic asthma is often caused by
environmental related allergens breathed into the lungs or any other irritants that can trigger the
attack leading to an allergic reaction. When a person with allergic asthma inhales pathogens like
pollen, pet dander, dust mites, tobacco smoke, polluted air, strong odours from scented lotions
and perfumes or strong chemicals, the allergy is triggered which makes the individual to starts
experiencing these. The severity of the condition depends with the amount of pathogens inhaled
in the system. In the case of Tegan, when the body system reacts to the pathogens, then the
individual starts wheezing which can become severe if the individual remain s in the same
environment. The situation of the patient may have been caused by anything in the environment
that triggered the pathogens.
Question two: The pathophysiological changes in asthma
Pathophysiological changes in asthma have been taking place for the last twenty five
years based in the overlapping patterns of the disease such intermittent versus acute
manifestations in patients. Since the disease is an inflammatory condition that can be easily
controlled and managed, the changes in the disease pathophysiology call for a different approach

CHALLENGE AND RESPONSE TO BODY INTEGRITY 3
to the disease (Anandan, Nurmatov & Sheikh, 2010). Most treatment options available for the
problem are treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs that reverse the process, through a therapy
that requires more time to achieve the intended results.
According to Tan, et al. (2015), the pathophysiology of the disease can be understood in
three ways; the individual, inflammation and impact. Asthma as a disease has roots in the genetic
composition of the individual which determines the kind of allergy that an individual develops
and the reactions or signs that they show. For example, in the case of Tegan, her asthma is
allergic based on reaction with environmental pathogens that are inhaled in the body. The disease
is also genetic related where children can inherit asthmatic allergies from their parents. Family
history like the case of Tegan’s mother is important in understanding the genesis of the problem.
Bostantzoglou, et al. (2015) argue that the phenotypes of the disease are grouped based on
clinical characteristics like symptoms, inflammation, and pulmonary function. These
characteristics are used to group patients in a hierarchical cluster method based on the degree of
similarity between different patients. Therefore, the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)
identified allergic asthma, non-allergic asthma, asthma with fixed airflow limitation, asthma with
obesity and late-onset asthma. These phenotypes are classified using clinical histories,
physiologic changes and airway inflammation differences (Woolcock, Bastiampillai, Marks &
Keena 2011).
Question three: Different treatment options for asthma
Treatment of asthma involves development of an action plan for treating the condition.
Clinicians need to ensure that they carry out asthmatic tests through asking questions to
determine the allergic triggers that form the allergy tests that need to be done. Through analysing
the medical history of the patient and the test results, the health practitioner determines the