Mukasa, a 31 year old male was excited to participate in a 10 kilometer marathon for MTN in a bid to raise money for cancer patients. He owns a saloon and works daily inckuding weekends. After 30minutes of running Mukasa started feeling breathless, weak with pain in the chest and lower limbs. He collapsed and was picked up by the first aid workers in the ambulance that follows the people that participate in the race. He was taken to the emergency ward of the nearby hospital where he was found to be having a low blood pressure, a high pulse rate and he was sweating profusely. He also had rapid shallow breaths and was not well oriented in time and place. Questions. 1. Describe the possible causes of Mukasa's collapse, highlighting the effects of exercise on the various physiological systems in the body. 2. Describe the management of the patient.
Mukasa, a 31 year old male was excited to participate in a 10 kilometer marathon for MTN in a bid to raise money for cancer patients. He owns a saloon and works daily inckuding weekends.
After 30minutes of running Mukasa started feeling breathless, weak with pain in the chest and lower limbs. He collapsed and was picked up by the first aid workers in the ambulance that follows the people that participate in the race.
He was taken to the emergency ward of the nearby hospital where he was found to be having a low blood pressure, a high pulse rate and he was sweating profusely. He also had rapid shallow breaths and was not well oriented in time and place.
Questions.
1. Describe the possible causes of Mukasa's collapse, highlighting the effects of exercise on the various physiological systems in the body.
2. Describe the management of the patient.
Breathlessness is just a symptom of underlying causes of diseases. There are four main causes of breathlessness:
- Lung disease
- Heart disease
- Being unfit
- Anxiety
Lung conditions are responsible for the breathlessness in many ways. Some conditions make the airways narrow or inflamed or fill them with phlegm which makes difficulty in the outward or inward movement of air through the lungs. The lung conditions that cause long term breathlessness ( chronic ) are lung cancer, bronchiectasis , asbestosis ( exposure to asbestos ) , asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, COPD ( chronic obstructive pulmonary disease )
The heart conditions that cause the acute breathlessness are a heart attack, abnormal heart rhythm with palpitations or missed heartbeats.
Most of the people feel breathlessness in the situation of fear or when they are afraid. Their body is preparation for an action, so they might get anxious if they feel the situation is out of their control. Sometimes the symptoms are like feeling tightening in the chest or getting very tired easily.
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