Anna’s out of breath

Anna’s out of breath

1. Anatomy of the mediastinum

2. Physiology of the respiratory system

   • Lung Volumes and Capacities
   • Inspiration and Expiration

3. Cough

   • Types
     • -Dry Cough -Croup Cough -Wet Cough -Whooping Cough
   • Mechanism
     • The cough reflex has 5 components: 1) cough receptors 2) afferent nerves 3) coughhh center 4) efferent nerves 5) effector muscles
     • Diaphragm and external intercostal muscles contract, creating a negative pressure around the lung. Air rushes into the lungs in order to equalise the pressure.

4. Respiratory causes of dyspnea

   • Acute
     • asthma attack, pneumothorax, pneumonia, pneumonia, allergic reaction
   • Chronic
     • interstitial lung disease, lung tumor & COPD
   • Wheezing
     • Whistling sound made while breathing, and often associated with difficulty breathing. it may occur during expiration or inspiration.
     • Causes
       • Inflammation, Allergies, Anaphylaxis, Asthma, COPD
   • Allergies
     • Allergic response to outdoor or indoor allergens
       • pollens, pet hair, dust, smoke
     • Eczema
     • Hay fever
       • Sneezing & watery nose, red itching eyes, cough

5. COPD

   • A group of diseases characterized by chronic or recurrent obstruction to the airflow
   • Chronic Bronchitis
     • Persistent productive cough not attributable to other causes on most days for at least 3 months over 2 consecutive years
   • Emphysema
     • Chronic lung disease characterized by permanent enlargement of the airspaces distal to the terminal bronchioles accompanied by destruction of their walls but without obvious fibrosis
   • Asthma
     • Chronic relapsing inflammatory disorder characterized by episodic reversible bronchospasm
     • Extrinsic
       • type I hypersensitivity reaction induced by exposure to an extrinsic antigen.
         • IgE mediated
     • Intrinsic
       • Aspirin, pulmonary infections, Psychological stress, Exercise , Inhaled irritants
         • Triggering mechanisms are non-immune

6. Investigations

   • *Approach considerations *Blood and sputum eosinophils *Serum IgE *Arterial blood gas *Periostin *Pulse oximetry assessment *Allergy skin testing *Pulmonary function testing *Peak flow test *Histologic findings

7. Management of asthma

   • Naturopathy?
   • Quitting smoking

8. Importance of regular checkups

   • -prevention is better than cure -Health issues affect one’s life -Healthcare providing costs

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