NURS 6501 Week 4 Scenario_2020 | NURS6501 _ Alterations in the Pulmonary System

NURS 6501 Week 4 Scenario - Mercer County Alterations in the Pulmonary System An 11-year-old boy is accompanied by his mother to receive medical attention for wheezing and difficulty breathing. The patient explains that when he is physically active while playing baseball, the symptoms are worst but improves upon cessation. Furthermore, patient symptoms are becoming worse, while also at rest. The patient lives in an apartment building with an allergy to cat dander. Upon auscultation assessment, wheezing is heard on expiration in all lung fields. The purpose of this paper is to explore how asthma can affect the pulmonary system in pediatrics. Also, the paper will explain the pathophysiology of the patient’s symptoms, the ethnic variables that may impact physiological functioning, and how the process interact to affect the patient. Pathophysiological processes that result in the patient presenting symptoms The 11-year-old boy is complaining of wheezing and difficulty with breathing because his pulmonary system is compromised. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the bronchial mucosa that causes bronchial hyperresponsiveness, constriction of the airways, and variable airflow obstruction that is reversible (McCance & Huether, 2019). Airway epithelial exposure to antigen initiates both an innate and adaptive immune response in sensitized patients (McCance & Huether, 2019). The cells that contribute to - - -- -