Emphysema is the disease I chose; this disease affects the respiratory system. In people with
emphysema, the air sacs in their lungs (alveoli) are damaged. Over time, the inner walls of the air
sacs weaken and rupture creating larger air spaces instead of many small ones. This reduces the
surface area of the lungs and, in turn, the amount of oxygen that reaches your bloodstream. This
deviates from the standard of health by causing difficulty breathing, Ongoing fatigue. Most patients
with severe emphysema end up on oxygen for the rest of their life.
There are three types of emphysema; centriacinar, pan acinar, parastatal. Centriacinar emphysema
affects the lungs and airways in the central acinus, destroying the lungs in the walls of the
respiratory bronchioles and alveolar ducts.
What are the symptoms of emphysema?
Shortness of breath, especially during light exercise. Emphysema symptoms are typically mild at first
and include Breathing problems, Coughing, persistent cough. Ongoing feeling of not being able to
get enough air. Long-term cough or wheezing. Long-term mucus production.
How do you detect emphysema, Chest X-Ray Chest X-rays can help confirm a diagnosis of
emphysema and rule out other lung conditions? Arterial Blood Gases Analysis These blood tests
measure how well your lungs transfer oxygen to your bloodstream and remove carbon dioxide.
Asthma affects the respiratory system by narrowing airways via swelling. According to the Mayo
Clinic, "asthma is a condition in which your airways narrow and swell and may produce extra mucus.
This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, a wheezing sound when you breathe out and
shortness of breath." This deviates from the standard of health by causing difficulty breathing,
ranging from a minor nuisance to potentially life-threatening asthma attacks. It is important to note
that asthma cannot be cured but it can be controlled.
Asthma can be classified into four categories by the National Asthma Education and Prevention
Program:
Intermittent - If asthma symptoms such as difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, occur on fewer
than 2 days a week and they do not interfere with normal activities. Night time symptoms occur on
fewer than 2 days a month.
Mild Persistent - Symptoms occur more than 2 days a week but do not occur every day. Attacks
interfere with daily activities. Night time symptoms occur 3-4 times a month.
Moderate Persistent - Symptoms occur daily. Inhalant medications are used daily. Symptoms
interfere with daily activities. Night time symptoms occur more than 1 time a week, but do not
happen every day.
Severe Persistent - Symptoms occur throughout every day. Daily physical activities are severely
limited. Night time symptoms occur often, sometimes every night.
In some instances, asthma signs and symptoms can flare up, such as when exercising, allergies, or
exposure to certain irritants. Asthma has a range of signs and symptoms to look for, these include:
Shortness of breath
Chest pain or tightness
Wheezing when exhaling
Trouble sleeping caused by shortness of breath, coughing, or wheezing
Coughing or wheezing attacks that are worsened by a respiratory virus, such as a cold or flu.
If experiencing any combination of these signs and symptoms, testing can be done to determine
lung function and any prevalence of asthma. Lung function tests such as Spirometry, a test that
estimates the narrowing of your bronchial tubes by checking how much air you can exhale after a
deep breath and how fast you can breathe out. And a Peak Flow meter, which is a device that
measures how hard you can breathe out. These tests are often done before and after taking a
bronchodilator. If the lung function improves after a bronchodilator, it is likely you have asthma.
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 ethology (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.
c c c c c c c c c c c 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.
c c c c c c c c c c c 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).
c c c c c c c c c c c 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/pneumothorax/symptoms-diagnosis-treatment
Mayo Clinic. (2021). Pneumothorax—Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pneumothorax/symptoms-causes/syc-20350367
WebMD. (2020). Pneumothorax (Collapsed Lung). WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/lung/what-is-
a-collapsed-lung
Michigan Medicine. (2020, October 26). Classification of asthma. Retrieved from Classification of
Asthma | Michigan Medicine (uofmhealth.org)
Mayo Clinic. (2020, August 11). Asthma. Retrieved from Asthma - Symptoms and causes - Mayo
Clinic
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9370-emphysema
