The Disease of Asthma Itself and How It Works - Essay Example

Asthma: A Thorough and Analyzing Review Asthma: A Thorough and Analyzing Review When considering a matter such as asthma, one must take into account all relevant factors in relation to it, and this includes that of the normal structure and the function of the cells in the body, and as well about the tissues and organs and the altered anatomy and physiology that is caused by a disease process, namely that of asthma. In order to be able to truly understand the process of asthma, how it affects the body, what occurs in the body before and during the set in of asthma, one must make sure that they acknowledge all of the relevant material in regards to it, and that they make themselves thoroughly informed on all of the necessary components of the disease itself. Many people actually do not even truly recognize that asthma is in fact a disease, and so its overlook tends to get lessened rather than taken more seriously. However, in this paper we will be discussing all of the relevant issues that contribute and reference to asthma, and as well about the disease of asthma itself; how it works, why it occurs, and what damage it causes to the body, for instance - all of these will be taken very thoroughly and seriously into consideration, and discussed truthfully and factually. This is what will be dissertated in the following. Basically, the first thing that needs to be understood is that within cells there is an incredibly intricate network of organelles that all have their own separate but equally important functions; it is these organelles that allow the cells to function properly, and cells, the smallest structures capable of maintaining life and reproducing, and they compose of all living things, from that of single-celled plants to multibillion-celled animals, and as well, the human body, which is in fact made up of an incredible number of different cells, actually begins as a single and newly fertilized cell. Actual ideas about cell structure have truly changed considerably over the years, and in fact it should be known that earlier biologists found and saw that cells as simple membranous sacs that contained fluid and a few floating particles, however today, biologists know that cells are truly and infinitely more advanced and complex than this. There are so many different types and sizes of cells in the human body, and "A cell consists of three parts: the cell membrane, the nucleus, and between the two, the cytoplasm." (Training, 2006). Each of the three has its own separate qualities as well: the nucleus is formed by a nuclear membrane around a fluid nucleoplasm, and is the actual control center of the cell; the nucleolus is a dense region of ribonucleic acid in the nucleus and is actually the site of ribosome formation; the cytoplasm is the gel-like fluid that is inside the cell, and it is the medium for chemical reaction; the cytoplasmic organelles are the little organs that are actually suspended in the cytoplasm of each cell, and each separate type of organelle has its own definite structure and a specific role in the function of each separate cell. In regards to the actual function of cells in the human body, this is just as important as anything else and the function before they are altered as well as after needs to be properly understood, in particular in direct reference to the disease of asthma. "The structural and functional characteristics of different types of cells are determined by the nature of the proteins present. Cells of various types have different functions because cell structure and function are closely related." (Training, 2006). As well, it should also be known that it is apparent that a cell that is very thin is not going to be well suited for a protective function, as the thinner the cell obviously the less it will be able to protect, and then on the same account, bone cells do not have an appropriate structure for nerve impulse conduction, and just as there are many known cell types, there are also varied cell functions, and this is critical to understand in regards to both cell structure and function overall. However, although there are varied cell functions, the generalized cell functions include that of movement of substances across the cell membrane, cell division to make new cells, and protein synthesis. Asthma is a disease of the respiratory system which causes the airways to constrict, become inflamed, and are lined with excessive amounts of mucus, often in response to that of one or more triggers, such as exposure to an environmental stimulant, cold air, exercise, or emotional stress, for instance. "The disorder is a chronic or recurring inflammatory condition in which the airways develop increased responsiveness to various stimuli, characterized by bronchial hyper-responsiveness, inflammation, increased mucus production, and intermittent airway production." (Wikipedia, 2006). Furthermore, the airway narrowing that occurs here causes various different symptoms, all of which must be taken into account, and this includes that of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing, which respond to bronchodilators; bronchodilators are a form of medicinal treatment that are used for asthma, and the most commonly used medicine of this sort is albuterol, which is chemically similar to that of epinephrine but has much less actual effect on the heart than epinephrine does. As well, albuterol comes in many different forms, for instance it can be given orally as a syrup, which is most commonly used in cases dealing with children, or pills, and it can also be inhaled, which is the most common way of all and which comes from a pocket-size metered-dose inhaler or from a nebulizer which makes a fine mist out of the liquid solution. It should be known in this regards however that "Inhaled albuterol doesn't have quite as much heart-speeding effect as oral albuterol, but small children in particular may have trouble with the inhaler." (Dr. Reddy, 2006). Therefore, if you are looking for treatment for asthma but are not sure which to go with, then the best idea is to go in to your family physician so that he can properly diagnose and thus determine which would be the best method for you to go with. There is also the use of steroids for asthma that is considered as being a more regular form of treatment, and steroids, which are actually hormones that are normally produced by your body, can help to properly regulate many different bodily functions including that of inflammation, for instance. "Giving extra steroids for a short period of time may help reduce inflammation; in particular, steroids can help open an asthmatic patient's airways by reducing the inflammation in the airway walls." (Dr. Reddy, 2006). However, although steroids can be incredibly helpful in regards to the treatment and reliving of asthma, they certainly do have their drawbacks, and these are just as important and critical to take into consideration as the positive effects that can be caused by them. For instance, your body must make steroids all the time for many processors to work right, and if you take steroids for too long - truly regardless of the amount that you are taking during this time - the your steroid-making system will tend to think that it is not needed anymore and it will then shut down; then of course if you happen to face a situation where you need the steroids, and this would include any sort of stress, such as surgery, for instance, then all sorts of things are able to go wrong due to the fact that your body is not making steroids on its own anymore, like your blood pressure for instance can go haywire, which will obviously be a quite major problem in the end. In regards to the changing of cell structure and function and how there is an altered anatomy and physiology caused by a disease such as asthma, one fact that needs to be recognized is that eosinophils play a central role in asthma, however the interplay of the effects of smoking, eosinophils and asthma still remains as being unclear. The mast cells are actually part of the lining of the air passages, and they are truly part of your immune system, and they react immediately to that of allergens, and other obnoxious stimuli, and also, "The mast cells release many different substances when they are stimulated, including histamine, which is a chemical responsible for most allergic reactions including the airway inflammation of asthma." (Dr. Reddy, 2006). One of the biggest causes of alteration in the cells and other parts of the body is actually due to the use of such treatment methods, and this is especially in regards to steroid use for the treatment of asthma, which has both short and long-term effects on the user. In regards to the short term use side effects, for a small number of people, a short-term course of steroid use can lower the body's resistance to chickenpox, for example, and so you should remember that you will need to speak to your doctor if you or your child is taking any form of steroid treatment for your asthma. After all, you want to take all of the possible precautions that you can, and then if your doctor thinks that you or your child may be at risk for chickenpox for example, then they will most likely give you an injection to protect you. There are also numerous other side effects that are considered as being at fault from short-term steroid use, and this includes such things as mood swings and increased hunger. In regards to long-term steroid use, the possible side effects of long-term use include that of the following: fattened face, feeling hungry and always wanting more to eat, feeling excited and anxious and having difficulty sleeping, feeling depressed or having sudden mood swings, experiencing heartburn and indigestion, bruising easily, brittle bones, and risk of cataracts. It also needs to be known that it literally took physicians in general years of study in order to be able to unravel a complex web of disease processes which can actually have a domino-like effect; when one disease process occurs it often triggers another, whether that means directly or indirectly, and then this can result in a cascade of events thus producing many diseases and possibly even resulting in death. "With an application of the interrelated nature of various diseases and organ systems, the physician constantly struggles to bring a disease process in check before it has had time to cause another domino fall and another organ system to fail. Sometimes the very treatment itself has a risk of affecting another organ system and therefore where the one is speaking of surgery or treatment with antibiotics or other drugs, the physician must always consider the benefit versus risk equation with regards to a particular treatment and a particular desired result." (Brown, 2006). Overall, it is now easy to see how really crucial it is to understand the anatomy and structure of the cells in the human body before they are altered by a disease process, as well as how many interrelated factors there are in reference to the disease of asthma in particular. As well, it is incredibly important to recognize that the changes to structure and function that are caused by asthma, and how these affect the body overall, as well as how they compare to that of normal body cell structure and function. Once all of these are taken appropriately into context, it is only then that a proper understanding of the disease as well as the body in general can be gained. References Asthma. (2006). Asthma. Retrieved November 28, 2006, from http://www.asthma.org.uk/all_about_asthma/medicines_treatments/side_effects_of.html Brown, M. (2006). Progression of the disease processUnraveling the enigma. Retrieved November 28, 2006, from http://thehandcenter.com/pub/disease_process.html CAPC Manual. (2006). Chronic disease process. Retrieved November 28, 2006, from http://64.85.16.230/educate/content/rationale/chronicdiseaseprocess.html Disease Basics. (2006). Asthma. Retrieved November 28, 2006, from http://www.healthtalk.com/asthma/diseasebasics.cfm Dr. Reddy. (2006). Asthma. Retrieved November 28, 2006, from http://www.drreddy.com/asthma.html Health Media. (2006). Infectious disease process. Retrieved November 28, 2006, from http://www.healthmedialab.com/html/infectious/process.html Sunyer, J., et al. (2003). Effects of asthma on cell components in peripheral blood among smokers and non-smokers. Clin Exp Allergy. 33(11): 1500-5. Training. (2006). Cell structure and function. Retrieved November 28, 2006, from http://training.seer.cancer.gov/module_anatomy/unit2_1_cell_functions.html The University of Chicago. (2006). All about asthma. Retrieved November 28, 2006, from http://asthma.bsd.uchicago.edu/AboutAsthma/AAFX.html Wikipedia. (2006). Asthma. Retrieved November 28, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asthma Read More