Pharmacology and medicines management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Pharmacology and medicines management - Essay Example There are various factors that play a role in the onset of disease. However, therapeutic and non-pharmacological management plans can help the patients in the long run. Scientists theorize that the worldwide increase in pollution due to the industrialization has caused a significant rise in the disease. The major implications and occurrence to treatment ratio along with the various strategies for controlling it are discussed further on. The incidence rates provides the information about the onset of the disease along with the probability of developing a disease. The incidence rate of asthma ranges between 2.65 to 4 per 1000 people annually. The condition is more commonly found in children less than five years of age and among boys as compared to girls. In childhood, the rate is estimated to be about 8.1 to 14 every 1000 persons for boys and 4.3 to 9 every 1000 persons for girls. Annually it is estimated that this rate of incidence is 2.1 every 1000 persons over 25 years of age. CDC r eports that asthma continues to be the major public health concern with a large financial impact on families and health care system. Internationally UK is the highest ranking countries in terms of asthma prevalence. The peak prevalence occurs between the ages of 5 and 15 and falls thereafter the age range of 55-64 years, after which it starts to rise again. Asthma diagnoses have recently became more common since 1950’s. Most of the children wheeze in their early life in response to the respiratory tract infection but most appear to grow out of it by the time they go to school. It is also to be noted that a few children will continue to wheeze and develop interval symptoms similar to atopic asthma (Worldallergy.org. 2013). The most common symptoms that are accompanied in asthma are coughing (especially at night or during exercise), trouble breathing, a tight feeling in the chest and wheezing sound. Some people may have prolonged symptom free periods while others experience som e symptoms every day. Loss of breath, exhaustion, wheezing, coughing, upper tract respiratory infections, sore throat and runny rose are some other less frequent signs. The underlying cause of asthma is bronchoconstriction due to the allergic inflammation of the passage ways. The inflammation process can be histologically seen. There is a hyper secretion of sub epithelial fibrosis, mucus hyper secretion and infiltration of the various inflammatory cells. The immuno-histopathologic features of asthma include the infiltration of the neutrophils, lymphocytes, epithelia cells and mast cell activation. An allergen triggers the type 1 hypersensitivity by activating the IgE antibodies. In normal individuals, the pathogen is phagocytised by the antigens stimulating a low TH1 response. In allergic people, the pathogen or pollutant induces the TH2 mediated response through the release of IL-4. This interleukin 4 induces the production of IgE antibodies which then attach to the mast cells rece ptors upon the secondary exposure of the allergen. Their attachment with mast cells triggers the release of the histamine which causes bronchoconstriction. The TH2 cells can directly induce the type 4 hypersensitivity through the production of interleukin 13. These interleukins cause the goblet cell hyperplasia, increased production of mucus and smooth muscle contraction. TH2 lymphocytes