Question

2. Discuss/explain congestive heart failure, asthma, emphysema, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, and sudden infant death syndrome.

Answer 1

Congestive heart failure ( CHF ):-

Heart failure or congestive heart failure does not mean the heart has stopped working.

It means that the heart works less efficiently than normal. Due to various possible causes, blood moves through the heart and body at a slower rate, and pressure in the heart increases. Due to which, the heart cannot pump enough oxygen and nutrients to meet the body's needs.

Symptoms of heart failure:-

✓ Congested lungs

✓ Fluid and water retention

✓ Dizziness, fatigue and weekness

✓ Rapid or.irregular heartbeats

Types of heart failure( HF ):-

1) Systolic HF

2) Diastolic HF

Diagnosis :-

* Blood tests:-

They are used to evaluate kidney and thyroid function as well as to check cholesterol levels and the presence of anemia.

Anemia is a blood condition that occurs when there is not enough hemoglobin in a person's blood.

* B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) blood test:-

It is a substance secreted from the heart in response to changes in blood pressure that occur when heart failure develops or worsens.

BNP blood levels increase when heart failure symptoms are worsen, and decrease when the condition of heart failure is stable.

* Chest x-ray:-

It shows the size of the heart and whether there is fluid build-up around the heart and lungs.

* Echocardiogram

* Electrocardiogram

Stages of heart failure:-

Stage A:-

People at high risk of developing heart failure.

Stage B:-

People diagnosed with systolic left ventricular dysfunction but who have never had symptoms of heart failure.

Stage C:-

Patients with known systolic heart failure and current or prior symptoms.

Stage D:-

Patients with systolic heart failure and presence of advanced symptoms after receiving optimum medical care.

Prevention of heart failure from worsening:-

* Keep the blood pressure low.

* Monitor your own symptoms

* Limit how much salt (sodium) you eat.

* Maintain fluid balance

Surgical treatment:-

* Coronary artery bypass grafting surgery

* Implantable left ventricular assist device (LVAD).

* Heart valve surgery.

* Heart transplant.

Asthma:-

It is a condition in which the airways narrow and swell and may produce extra mucus. This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, a whistling sound i.e wheezing when you breathe out and shortness of breath.

Symptoms:-

✓Shortness of breath

✓Chest tightness or pain

✓Wheezing when exhaling, which is a common sign of asthma in children

✓Trouble sleeping caused by shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing

Causes :-

Asthma triggers:-

✓Airborne allergens, such as pollen, dust mites, mold spores, pet dander etc.

✓Respiratory infections, such as the common cold

✓Physical activity

✓Cold air

✓Air pollutants and irritants, such as smoke.

Risk factors:-

✓Being overweight

✓Being a smoker

✓Exposure to secondhand smoke

✓Exposure to exhaust fumes or other types of pollution

✓ Having a blood relative with asthma, such as a parent or sibling

Complications:-

*Signs and symptoms that interfere with sleep, work and other activities

*Sick days from work or school during asthma flare-ups

*A permanent narrowing of the tubes that carry air to and from the lungs (bronchial tubes), which affects how well you can breathe.

Prevention:-

✓ Follow your asthma action plan.

✓ Get vaccinated for influenza and pneumonia.

✓ Identify and avoid triggers of asthma.

✓ Monitor your breathing.

✓ Take your medication as prescribed.

Emphysema:-

It is a lung condition that causes shortness of breath.

The air sacs in the 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.

Symptoms:-

You can have emphysema for many years without noticing any signs or symptoms.

But the main symptom of emphysema is shortness of breath, which usually begins gradually.

Causes:-

*Tobacco smoke

*Marijuana smoke

*Air pollution

* Dust and chemical fumes.

Risk factors:-

✓Smoking

✓ Age :- Mostly people with tobacco-related emphysema begin to experience symptoms of the disease between the ages of 40 and 60.

✓ Occupational exposure to fumes or dust.

✓ Secondary smoking.

Complications:-

✓Collapsed lung

✓ Large holes in the lungs i.e bullae.

✓ Heart problems.

Prevention:-

*Do not smoke

*Avoid breathing secondhand smoke.

*Wear a mask to protect your lungs if you work with chemical fumes or dust.

Cystic fibrosis:-

It is an inherited disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body.

It affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat and digestive juices. These secreted fluids are normally thin and slippery. But in case of cystic fibrosis, a defective gene causes the secretions to become sticky and thick.

Signs and symptoms:-

*A persistent cough that produces thick mucus (sputum)

*Wheezing

*Exercise intolerance

*Repeated lung infections

*Inflamed nasal passages

*Foul-smelling, greasy stools

*Poor weight gain and growth

*Intestinal blockage, particularly in newborns (meconium ileus)

Causes:-

A defect (mutation) in a gene — the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene — changes a protein that regulates the movement of salt in and out of cells.

It results is thick, sticky mucus in the respiratory, digestive and reproductive systems, and also increased salt in sweat.

Complications:-

✓Damaged airways (bronchiectasis)

✓ Growths in the nose i.e nasal polyps

✓ Hemoptysis

✓ Respiratory failure.

✓ Nutritional deficiencies.

✓ Diabetes

✓ Liver disease

✓ Distal intestinal obstruction syndrome (DIOS).

Prevention:-

If you or your partner has close relatives with cystic fibrosis, you both may choose to have genetic testing before having children.

The test, which is performed in a lab on a sample of blood, can help determine your risk of having a child with CF.

Lung cancer:-

It is a type of cancer that begins in the lungs.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.

People who smoke have the greatest risk of lung cancer, though lung cancer can also occur in people who have never smoked.

Symptoms:-

*Coughing up of blood.

*Shortness of breath

*Chest pain

*Hoarseness

*Losing weight without trying

*Bone pain

*Headache

Causes :-

Smoking causes the majority of lung cancers — both in smokers and in people exposed to secondhand smoke.

Types:-

1) Small cell lung cancer.

2) Non-small cell lung cancer.

Risk factors:-

✓Exposure to secondhand smoke

✓Smoking

✓ Exposure to radon gas.

✓ Exposure to asbestos and other types of carcinogens.

Complications:-

✓Shortness of breath.

✓Fluid in chest i.e pleural effusion.

✓Pain

✓ Coughing up blood.

✓ Metastatic cancer

Prevention:-

✓Don't smoke.

✓ Avoid secondhand smoking.

✓ Avoid carcinogens at workplace

✓ Eat a diet full of fruits and vegetables.

✓ Exercise

Sudden infant death syndrome ( SIDS ):-

SIDS is the unexplained death, usually during sleep, of a seemingly healthy baby less than one year old.

SIDS is sometimes known as crib death because the infants often die in their cribs.

Causes:-

✓ Brain defects.

✓ Low birth weight.

✓ Respiratory infection.

✓ Sleeping on the stomach or side.

✓ Sharing a bed.

✓ Sleeping on a soft surface.

Risk factors:-

Age:- Infants are most vulnerable between the second and fourth months of life.

Race:- Non-white infants are more likely to develop SIDS.

Secondhand smoke:- Babies who live with smokers have a higher risk of SIDS.

Family history.

Maternal risk factors:-

*If she is younger than 20

*Smokes cigarettes

*Uses drugs or alcohol

*Has inadequate prenatal care.

Prevention:-

✓Keep the crib as bare as possible:- Use a firm mattress and avoid placing your baby on thick, fluffy padding, such as lambskin or a thick quilt.

✓ Have your baby sleep in in your room.

✓ Don't overheat your baby.

✓ Don't use baby monitors and other commercial devices that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS.

✓ Immunize the baby.