Acute asthma

Contraindications Active or latent bronchial asthma, acute inflammatory GI tract conditions, anastomosis, bladder wall instability, cardiacorcoronary artery disease, epilepsy, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, hypotension, mechanical GI or urinary tract obstruction or recent GI resection, parkinsonism, peptic ulcer, pronounced bradycardia, vasomotor instability... 

Case study level 2 - Asthma - acute on chronic... 

Soraya Dhillon and Andrzej Kostrzewski Case study level 1 - Asthma - community 49 Case study level 2 - Asthma - acute on chronic 50 Case study level 3 - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) -with co-morbidity 52 Case study level Ma - COPD 54 Case study level Mb - Brittle asthma 56... 

Asthma affects 3—5% of the population and is one of the most common chronic illnesses (7—9). Both the frequency and severity of asthma appear to be increasing (10—13). Acute, severe asthma has the potential to be fatal. The disease may first appear ia childhood and iadividuals so affected can suffer recurrent episodes throughout their Hves or they may "outgrow" the condition at puberty. On the other hand, there is also adult-onset asthma. These people show no symptoms as children or as young adults, but suddenly develop symptoms later ia life. There have been many reports of bronchial infections preceding the appearance of asthma. However it is not known whether these infections contributed to the development of the disease or whether iadividuals who are already predisposed to asthma ate more likely to experience bronchospasms as a result of a bronchial infection (14). 

Intrinsic asthma, also called idiopathic asthma, usually develops in adulthood. In intrinsic asthma allergic factors are not demonstrable. Episodes of intrinsic asthma may be triggered by a variety of stimuli, eg, emotional state, exposure to cold air, or inert dusts. Both intrinsic and extrinsic asthmatics can be prone to exercise-induced attacks. Individuals who experience a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic asthmatic reactions have mixed asthma. Status asthmaticus refers to an especially acute life-threatening asthma attack which is resistant to normal treatments and which may require hospitalization in order to stabilize the patient. 

Epinephrine itself does find some use in clinical medicine. The drug is used in order to increase blood pressure in cases of circulatory collapse, and to relax the bronchial muscle in acute asthma and in anaphylactic reactions. These activities follow directly from the agent s physiologic role. The biogenetic precursor of epinephrine, norepinephrine, has activity in its own right as a mediator of sympathetic nerve action. (An apocryphal story has it that the term nor is derived from a label seen on a bottle of a key primary amine in a laboratory in Germany N ohne... 

Inflammatory and immune diseases Autoimmune disease (A,I), asthma (A), osteoarthritis (I), rheumatoid arthritis (I), septic shock (A,I), infections (A,I), familial cold auto-inflammatory syndrome (I), Muckle Wells syndrome (I), chronic infantile neurological cutaneous and articular syndrome/neonatal onset multisystemic inflammatory disease (CINCA/NOMID) (I), Crohn s disease (I), gout (I), acute renal failure (A,l)... 

Inhaled NO has been used for treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension of newborn infants, critical respiratory failure of preterm infants, and acute hypertension of adult cardiac surgery patients. PDE-5 inhibitors such as sildenafil are also effective for treatment of pulmonary hypertension. The combination of PDE-5 and NO inhalation yields additive beneficial effects on pulmonary hemodynamics. On the other hand, measurement of exhaled NO is a noninvasive and reproducible test that is a surrogate measure of airway inflammation in patients with bronchial asthma. 

Picornavimses are small, nonenveloped RNA vimses. Members of this family include rhino- and enteroviruses, which are responsible for a variety of human diseases (viral respiratory infection, viral meningitis, myocarditis, pericarditis, encephalitis, chronic meningoencephalitis, herpangina, otitis media, neonatal enteroviral disease, and acute exacerbations of asthma). 

BKCa The diversity of BKCa channels can be attributed to the assembly of pore-forming a subunit together with four different auxiliary subunits ((31 -(34). BMS-204352 has been identified as a BKCa channel opener for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke although it has also been shown as an M-channel activator. Therapeutic applications for channel openers include epilepsy, bladder overactivity, asthma, hypertension, and psychosis. Other known BKCa channel openers include NS-8, NS-1619, NS-4, and certain aminoazaindole analogs. 

An acute and life-threatening exacerbation of asthma that does not respond to standard treatments of bronchodilators and corticosteroids. 

Injection shock, bronchospasm during anesthesia, cardiac standstill and arrhythmias Inhalation acute bronchial asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, bronchiectasis... 

These drugp are contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to die drugs, asthma, peptic ulcer disease, coronary artery disease, and hyperthyroidism. Bethanecol is contraindicated in those with mechanical obstruction of die gastrointestinal or genitourinary tracts. Fhtients with secondary glaucoma, iritis, corneal abrasion, or any acute inflammatory disease of the eye should not use die ophtiialmic cholinergic preparations. 

Sympathomimetics (drugs that mimic the sympathetic nervous system) are used primarily to treat reversible airway obstruction caused by bronchospasm associated with acute and chronic bronchial asthma, exercise-induced bronchospasm, bronchitis, emphysema, bronchiectasis (abnormal condition of the bronchial tree), or other obstructive pulmonary diseases. 

These dru are contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to the dragp. Montelukast, zaflrlukast, and zileuton are not used in the reversal of bronchospasm in acute asthma attacks. Zileuton is con-... 

The mast cell stabilizers are contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to the drugp. The mast cell stabilizers are contraindicated in patients during attacks of acute astiima because they may worsen bron-chospasm during tiie acute asthma attack. 

Salmeterol is a long-acting inhaled bronchodilator and is not used to treat acute asthma symptoms. It does not replace the fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. Salmeterol should not be used more frequently than twice daily (morning and evening). 

Zafirlukast—Take this drug regularly as prescribed, even during symptom-free times. Do not use to treat acute episodes of asthma... 

Montelukast—Take once daily in the evening, even when free of symptoms. Contact physician if the asthma is not well controlled. This drug is not for the treatment of an acute attack. Avoid taking aspirin and the NSAIDs while taking montelukast. 

The narcotic antitussives are used cautiously in patients with head injury and increased intracranial pressure, acute abdominal disorders, convulsive disorders, hepatic or renal impairment, prostatic hypertrophy, and asthma or other respiratory conditions. 

Although methods have been established to derive these levels (Barnes and Dourson 1988 EPA 1990c), uncertainties are associated with these techniques. Furthermore, ATSDR acknowledges additional uncertainties inherent in the application of the procedures to derive less than lifetime MRLs. As an example, acute inhalation MRLs may not be protective for health effects that are delayed in development or are acquired following repeated acute insults, such as h q)ersensitivity reactions, asthma, or chronic bronchitis. As these kinds of health effects data become available and methods to assess levels of significant human exposure improve, these MRLs will be revised. 

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