Undertreatment and Underdiagnosis of Asthma @astigmathic-blog - Tumblr Blog

Introduction

Asthma was labeled and still continued to be labeled as a hindrance rather than a chronic disease that should be under surveillance and treated much more. The health care system and doctors have reluctantly label their patients as asthmatic. Children and adults are being underdiagnosed and even turned away from hospitals because their symptoms of asthma was not taken seriously. Some patients have not been given the proper medication and proper knowledge to maintain and control their asthma.

People continue to die from asthma attacks, but those deaths are not shown as deaths caused by asthma but caused by other diseases such as hearth failures or pulmonary diseases which are seen as more of a “serious” illness. Even the media portray asthma in a negative light. Asthma has not been given the consideration and attention it needs so that people do not have bad experiences in hospital visits and even regular conversations with others about their asthma. Due to the ineffective care given to asthma, it brought a stigma in which people do not want to be labeled as asthmatic. People would rely on themselves and avoid getting help from others and even let people know they have asthma.

Concepts You Might Not Know

Asthma action plan: Is a written plan that you create with your child's doctor to help control your child's asthma. The goal of an asthma action plan is to reduce or prevent flare-ups and emergency department visits.

Nebulizer: Changes medication from a liquid to a mist so that it can be more easily inhaled into the lungs. Nebulizers are particularly effective in delivering asthma medications to infants and small children and to anyone who has difficulty using an asthma inhaler.

Bronchial dilators: Is a simple, minimally-invasive method that may be used alone or in combination with other bronchoscopic therapies to dilate airway stenoses and restore adequate airflow

Corticosteroids: Considered to be the most effective medications for controlling asthma when taken regularly. They work continuously to reduce swelling of the airways.

Reliever: Taken when asthma symptoms occur “rescue inhaler”

Prophylactic: Long term “control” treatment

Boundaries of control: Knowing the triggers of an asthma attack that lead lead to unmanageable treatment. Hospitalization is most likely required

Citation Page

Adams, S., Pill, R., & Jones, A. (1997). Medication, chronic illness and identity: The perspective of people with asthma. Social Science & Medicine, 45(2), 189-201.

Becker, G., Janson-Bjerklie, S., Benner, P., Slobin, K., & Ferketich, S. (1993). The dilemma of seeking urgent care: Asthma episodes and emergency service use. Social Science & Medicine, 37(3), 305-313.

Clark, C.D., 2012. Asthma Episodes: Stigma, Children, and Hollywood Films. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 26(1), pp.92–115.

Conway, S P, and J M Littlewood. “Admission to Hospital with Asthma.” Archives of Disease in Childhood, vol. 60, no. 7, 1985, pp. 636–639.

Speight, A N. “Is Childhood Asthma Being Underdiagnosed and Undertreated?” British Medical Journal, vol. 2, no. 6133, 1978, pp. 331–332.

Stupka, and Deshazo. “Asthma in Seniors: Part 1. Evidence for Underdiagnosis, Undertreatment, and Increasing Morbidity and Mortality.” The American Journal of Medicine, vol. 122, no. 1, 2009, pp. 6–11.

The Dilemma of Seeking Urgent Care: Asthma Episodes and Emergency Service Use

Asthma is a chronic illness that can be controlled by the patient. The person is mostly at fault if their condition gets to the point that they need hospital care. Stigmas such as asthma not life threatening creates a dilemma for the patients. They would rather delay seeking medical attention to the point they are dying so that they can get the care they need.

The majority of respondents wanted to manage their asthma unassisted. Although 52 of 95 persons lived with others, and 15 others had readily available help nearby, 41 (43%) made statements that indicated they preferred to be in charge, that they did not want help from others, or did not think asthma was the kind of illness that others could help with. In their effort to be self-reliant, individuals attempted to manage episodes of asthma without intervention by the health care system.

Becker, Gay, Susan Janson-Bjerklie, Patricia Benner, Kathleen Slobin, and Sandra Ferketich. 1993. “The Dilemma of Seeking Urgent Care: Asthma Episodes and Emergency Service Use.” Social Science & Medicine 37(3):305–13.

#self reliance #preventable #boundaries of control #negative experiences

If your child has asthma, find out when you need to go to the ER.

If you’re a parent and have to read this link, something is wrong with you.

#common sense #child neglect #asthma action plan

Triggers can make your asthma worse. They can cause your airway to become inflamed. Find out more about common asthma triggers in this video. After watching ...

It is disappointing, however, that even with correct diagnosis and the use of antiasthmatic drugs, children often still receive ineffective treatment (36 of 72 children in this study).

Conway, S. P. and J. M. Littlewood. 1985. “Admission to Hospital with Asthma.” Archives of Disease in Childhood 60(7):636–39.

#misdiagnosed #Parents' knowledge #reluctance

FastStats is an official application from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and puts access to topic-specific statistics at your fingertips.

Number of children under age 18 years who currently have asthma: 6.2 million

Percent of children under age 18 years who currently have asthma: 8.4%

Yes, asthma can be life-threatening.

All day I continued to puff my inhaler, but to no avail. I was far exceeding the recommended dosage of two puffs four times a day, but I didn’t care. My parents knew I was having uncomfortable asthma symptoms, but I was downplaying the severity so they wouldn’t be worried about me. My asthma was never serious throughout my life, so I tried telling myself that this was no different.

Please SHARE, LIKE, COMMENT, and even FAVORITE THIS VIDEO if you found it useful or if you know somebody who it may benefit. Thank you. FACEBOOK: https://www...

when it gets severe but how do you know if it's time to go to the emergency room it's a matter of how constricted those Airways are so there's definitely a point at which they're so constricted that you're turning blue we don't want to wait until you get to that point

#no duh

Using an asthma inhaler correctly is a tricky, multi-step process. If you don’t do it just right, you cannot get the full benefit of the drugs, potentially making the asthma worse or making it appear as though the medication isn’t helping.

But it does not give any data or sources they get their information from.

Many people who take medicine for asthma and other lung disease patients are using inhalers incorrectly, new studies show. WSJ's Sumathi Reddy explains on Lu...

Asthma in Seniors: Part 1. Evidence for Underdiagnosis, Undertreatment, and Increasing Morbidity and Mortality

The article also investigate the question, “How is asthma different in seniors?” (2009). Some explanations for this issue are that elders experience differently than younger people. Elders are less aware about their conditions and symptoms. This could then contribute to practitioners and physicians biased against the elders. They could quickly brush away the elder’s symptoms as just conditions of aging than labeling their condition as asthma. Studies indicate that this low prevalence for elders with asthma contribute to its high morbidity and mortality rates.

Death certificates have been found to underdiagnose asthma mortality in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The false-negative rate may be as high as 22% in death certificate data in asthmatic patients under 65 years of age

Stupka & Deshazo, 2009. Asthma in Seniors: Part 1. Evidence for Underdiagnosis, Undertreatment, and Increasing Morbidity and Mortality. The American Journal of Medicine, 122(1), pp.6–11.

As the prevalence of asthma climbs in people 65 and older, more seniors will grapple with its long-term impact. Estimates vary, but up to 9 percent of older adults are thought to have asthma a respiratory condition that inflames the lungs and interferes with breathing.

older adults tend to prioritize other medical conditions over asthma, perhaps because they minimize symptoms and underestimate their impact, suggested Miichael Wolf, a professor of medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

#news #chronic obstructive pulmonary disease #congestive heart failure #heart disease

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