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Asthma is a common condition in children. Except for medication, treatment should involve other methods to manage the disease. Asthma management is important to maintain a high quality of life. However, the effectiveness of such control depends on the education of patients. The main goals of this paper are to discuss asthma in detail and formulate a PICOT question to guide further research.
Definition
Asthma is a chronic medical condition in which the airways in the lungs are always inflamed. Through these airways, air moves in and out of the body ( Asthma, n.d.). They are called bronchial tubes. Certain things can trigger the symptoms that make these tubes swollen and lead to difficulty in breathing. Usually, such a condition occurs during physical activities. Therefore, people with this type of asthma should avoid exercising. Also, various allergies often accompany the disease.
Epidemiology
The prevalence of asthma depends on the region. There are many factors that increase the risk of the development of the disease. Some of them are the environment, genes, and working conditions. However, the disease is more common among middle-income communities. Therefore, the quality of life has a direct impact on the prevalence of asthma. According to statistics, there are approximately 334 million patients who suffer from asthma, and this condition causes 250,000 deaths annually (Smith, 2016). In addition, the prevalence of asthma is still growing.
Clinical Presentation
There are several general manifestations of the disease. One of the most common symptoms is breathing with a whistling sound in the chest. In mild cases, wheezing is only end expiratory (Morris, 2017, para. 4). However, if the disease is in the advanced stage, this sound can also occur when inhaling. In addition, asthma might develop without such a symptom. In exercise-induced asthma, wheezing is present after exercising. Also, cough is often a symptom of the disease. Another common sign is chest tightness or pain in the chest.
Complications
Asthma can cause complications of different severity. That is why it is necessary to control the disease. Asthma might lead to fatigue, poor work performance, and some psychological problems such as depression or stress. It is very important to get professional health care if the disease affects the quality of life. In most severe cases, asthma can result in pneumonia, a collapse of the lung, or respiratory failure ( Asthma, n.d.). Some of these conditions may threaten the life of a patient and thus should be immediately treated.
Diagnosis
First, a doctor collects information about the family history and lifestyle of a patient. It is necessary to know about the environment in which the patient lives and works. Second, during a physical exam, a doctor looks at eyes, ears, throat, skin, chest, and lungs ( Asthma, n.d.). Also, the exam might require a lung function test and X-ray of lungs. Finally, it might be necessary to carry out some other tests to rule out differential diagnoses.
Conclusion with PICOT Question
Asthma can be successfully managed so that it will not lead to any serious complications. However, it is necessary to increase medical literacy among patients. It is especially relevant for African American children as many of them live in poor conditions, which increase chances for the development of the disease. However, educational programs should be designed, taking into consideration certain cultural factors that might hinder educational processes. There are various programs that are aimed at teaching patients with asthma to control the disease, but not all of them might be effectively applied to minority communities. Therefore, the following PICOT question might be formulated to guide further research in this area: In African American children (P), will proper education on asthma management (I) compare to no education (C), help to reduce disruption of daily lives (O), over a one year period (T)?
References
Asthma. (n.d.)Â
Morris, M. (2017). Asthma clinical presentation.Â
Smith, Y. (2016). Asthma epidemiology.Â
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