The disorder that I chose is called Pneumothorax or, in layman's
terms, a collapsed lung. This disease occurs when air is present in the
chest cavity outside the lungs. The external air creates an outside
pressure causing several problems. The etiology (cause) of the
disease is a penetrating chest injury damaging the lungs (Mayo Clinic,
2021). Some medical procedures or lung diseases may cause damage
to the lung, consequently leading to Pneumothorax. It follows the
definition of health we learned about in module one.
The disease can be categorized into four types based on the
cause of the disease. The first category is simple, where the lungs
don't move around in the chest cavity. The second category is
primarily spontaneous. This type occurs without a cause. Moreover,
secondary and tension Pneumothorax is also related to the reason
(WebMD, 2020). Finally, injury-related Pneumothorax involves a
severe injury like blunt force trauma or gunshot.
The signs of the disease include blunt force trauma, gunshot
wound, and punctured lungs. The symptoms include shortness of
breath, stabbing chest pain, fatigue, and raised blood
pressure/heartbeat (ALA, 2021).
The disease can be diagnosed with a chest X-ray. However, a
CT scan may provide a more detailed image of the collapsed lung.
Ultrasound technology may also be used to analyze the disease.
References
ALA. (2021). Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treating Pneumothorax.
https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/pne
umothorax/symptoms-diagnosis-treatment
Mayo Clinic. (2021). Pneumothorax—Symptoms and causes. Mayo
Clinic.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pneumothorax/sym
ptoms-causes/syc-20350367
WebMD. (2020). Pneumothorax (Collapsed Lung). WebMD.
https://www.webmd.com/lung/what-is-a-collapsed-lung
