CASE: A 12-year-old girl with a history of asthma presented to the emergency department with a three-day history of increased work of breathing, cough, and wheezing. She reported no clear trigger for her respiratory symptoms, although she had noted some mild upper respiratory tract infection symptoms. With this episode, the patient used a short-acting bronchodilator more frequently than before, without the expected resolution of symptoms. On the presentation day, the patient awoke feeling ‘suffocated,’ and her mother noted her lips to be blue. In the emergency department, her oxygen saturation was 85%, and her respiratory rate was 40 breaths/min. She had significantly increased work of breathing and poor air entry bilaterally to both lung bases, with wheezing in the upper lung zones. She was treated with salbutamol/ipratropium and received intravenous steroids and magnesium sulfate. Her chest x-ray showed hyperinflation and no focal findings. Her medical history revealed that a respirologist followed her for her asthma; she had good medication adherence and had not experienced a significant exacerbation for six months. She also had a history of wheezing, dyspnea, and pruritis with exposure to peanuts, chickpeas, and lentils; she had been prescribed an injectible epinephrine device for this. However, her machine had expired at the time of the presentation. In the past, her wheezing episodes had been seasonal and related to exposure to grass and pollens; this presentation occurred during the winter. Further history revealed the probable cause of her presentation. What specific circulatory system parts stem are affected in this case? What are the normal functions of the body system involved in this case? Discuss the specific structure involved as to a. The structure/ anatomy b. The function/ physiology
CASE:
A 12-year-old girl with a history of asthma presented to the emergency department with a three-day history of increased work of breathing, cough, and wheezing. She reported no clear trigger for her respiratory symptoms, although she had noted some mild upper respiratory tract infection symptoms. With this episode, the patient used a short-acting bronchodilator more frequently than before, without the expected resolution of symptoms. On the presentation day, the patient awoke feeling ‘suffocated,’ and her mother noted her lips to be blue. In the emergency department, her oxygen saturation was 85%, and her respiratory rate was 40 breaths/min. She had significantly increased work of breathing and poor air entry bilaterally to both lung bases, with wheezing in the upper lung zones. She was treated with salbutamol/ipratropium and received intravenous steroids and magnesium sulfate. Her chest x-ray showed hyperinflation and no focal findings. Her medical history revealed that a respirologist followed her for her asthma; she had good medication adherence and had not experienced a significant exacerbation for six months. She also had a history of wheezing, dyspnea, and pruritis with exposure to peanuts, chickpeas, and lentils; she had been prescribed an injectible epinephrine device for this. However, her machine had expired at the time of the presentation. In the past, her wheezing episodes had been seasonal and related to exposure to grass and pollens; this presentation occurred during the winter. Further history revealed the probable cause of her presentation.
- What specific circulatory system parts stem are affected in this case?
- What are the normal functions of the body system involved in this case?
- Discuss the specific structure involved as to
a. The structure/ anatomy
b. The function/ physiology
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