Pathophysiology of Asthma | Case Study

Running head: CASE STUDY
CASE STUDY
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CASE STUDY
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PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF ASTHMA
The patient in the case study is grasped with a disease called asthma which has
occurred due to exercise and also because of allergic response in the body. Asthma is a type
of chronic pulmonary disorder mainly caused due to the inflammation primarily in the
respiratory tract along with tightening of the smooth muscles present in the respiratory
airways (Quirt et al., 2018). The disease can be categorized in mainly into two types, these
are non-allergic asthma and allergic asthma, however it has other types as well such as drug
induced asthma, occupational asthma and exercise induced asthma (Papi et al., 2019). The
atopic asthma or the allergic asthma is mediated by type 1 Immunoglobulin E mediated
hypersensitivity along with allergen sensitization that is observed since childhood. It is also
governed by genetic factor such as history of asthma present in the family and positive skin
test. The non-atopic asthma happens due to non-allergic sensitization of the body, virus
infection occurred in the body and the skin test is negative. The drug induced asthma is
caused due to sensitive reaction of certain drugs towards the body such as aspirin
(Warrington, Silviu-Dan & Wong, 2018). Occupational asthma is caused due to stimulus that
effects and triggers the asthma condition, the stimulants are fumes, chemical dusts such as
cotton, woods, organic materials, gas like toluene (Liccardi et al., 2018). Exercise induced
asthma is caused after mild or vigorous exercises that worsens that condition in cold climate.
Bronchoconstriction is a common factor in all the types of asthma. It is a basically a type of
narrowing that occurs in the airways of the lungs due to contraction of the surrounding
smooth muscle of the lungs which results in wheezing consequent coughing and breathing
shortness. The patient in this case has a symptom of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.
Exercise typically follows a usual form of bronchodilation. The constriction sets in during
exercise which reaches at peak at about 10 to 15 minutes and the condition resolves by 1
hour. During this period of time the level of few inflammatory mediators rises in a huge

CASE STUDY
2
amount (Aggarwal, Mulgirigama & Berend, 2018). The mediators that are raised above the
normal condition are histamine, leukotrienes and interleukin. The TH2-type lymphocytes that
are activated which increases the Bcells expressing the CD 23 and T-cells that is expressing
the CD25 that is interleukin-2R overall increasing the production of immunoglobulin E. This
condition resolves after one or three minute. The patient with suffering from exercise-induced
asthma the condition lasts up to a refractory period of four hours or less than that. The
bronchoconstriction is less stressed if exercise is repeated during this period of time. This
happens due to the release of prostaglandins. The original cause of this type of
bronchoconstriction seems to be the enormous bulk of dry air, cool air that is drawing in
during strenuous exercise. The allergic asthma is a type of autoimmune disorder also known
as hypersentivity type1 (Lambrecht & Hammad, 2015). The vascular abnormality such as
angiogenesis, plasma exudation, vasodilation results to the narrowing of airways of the lungs.
Enlarged quantity of blood flow is essential for removing the inflammatory mediators from
the lungs. The normal function of the body is maintained by autonomic nerves system
somewhere the parasympathetic nerve is chiefly stimulated by the stimuli and creates
impulses which is supplementary passed by the vagal nerves in to the brain which in turn
carried into the airways. Acetylcholine that is discharged by efferent nerves produced inositol
triphosphate which begins the bronchoconstriction and restriction of muscles. Asthma is also
caused because of sleep disorders and gastrointestinal disorders (de Freitas Dantas Gomes &
Costa, 2015).
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF ASTHMA
The patient in this case study has a medical history of asthma condition and also has a
complain of respiratory traction infection. The symptoms that the patient was having are
breathing shortness, wheezing and unresolved coughing which can be regarded as the main
observatory symptoms of asthma exacerbation. The child also had symptoms of exercise-