Connection Between Asthma and Allergies and the Bacterial Pneumonia

Essay 3
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Essay 3
1 Pathophysiologic connection between asthma and allergies
               Asthma is a chronic disease that involves airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness (Guibas et al., 2017). As a result, the condition is characterized by symptoms such as wheezing and coughing. It can be triggered by irritants, allergens, and viral infections of the upper respiratory system. Often, people with asthma have allergies and as such, asthma is considered an allergic disease (Guibas et al., 2017). Allergies are characterized by a runny nose, sneezing, and coughing, among others and the immune system of allergic people usually treats allergens as a threat, which causes an allergic reaction. There is, therefore, a connection between asthma and allergies. 
               Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation. The airway inflammation causes the radius of the airway to reduce (Sinyor & Perez, 2020). Bronchoconstriction, as a result of the reduced radius, limits airflow and this is accompanied by excessive mucus production. The airways also become hyper-responsive. According to King et al. (2018), when the antibodies of an asthmatic individual bind with allergens, the mast cells become activated. As indicated earlier, the immune system of asthmatic people attack allergens that are otherwise harmless because it mistakes them for intruders. Mast cells produce histamine, hence causing hyper-responsiveness. The airway inflammation in asthma is caused by eosinophils (King et al., 2018). Asthma is also characterized by airway remodeling where epithelial cells are reformatted because of loss of functionality (Sinyor & Perez, 2020). Airway remodeling is caused by airway inflammation (King et al., 2018) and when left untreated, it can aggravate asthma attacks (Sinyor & Perez, 2020). In allergic people, the immune system recognizes the allergens as intruders and responds by producing antibodies. In both asthma and allergies, the immune system responds by producing very specific antibodies, known as IgE. IgE is responsible for the activation of the mast cells (King et al., 2018). The connection lies in the immune system response. 
2 Pathophysiology of lung cancer, clinical manifestations, and diagnostic tests
               Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. According to Siddiqui and Siddiqui (2020) lung cancer occurs after exposure to carcinogens. Persistent exposure to carcinogens causes genetic mutation and leads to disruption of the cell cycle. This disruption, in turn, supports carcinogenesis. Siddiqui and Siddiqui (2020) also reveal that exposure to cigarette smoke is one of the causes of lung cancer. Exposure to other pollutants, combined with genetic susceptibility, also increases the risk of lung cancer. Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small-cell lunger cancer (NSCLC) are both caused by different genetic mutations as a result of exposure to carcinogens. MYC, BCL2, and p53 genetic mutations cause SCLC while EGFR, KRAS, and p16 cause NSCLC (Siddiqui & Siddiqui, 2020). SCLC is more metastatic than NSCLC. 
               Lung cancer manifests as a persistent cough as a result of bronchial compression (Siddiqui & Siddiqui, 2020). The compression is caused by the tumor and distant metastasis. The phlegm could be bloody. Patients also experience shortness of breath, which is present in over 20% of lung cancers (Siddiqui & Siddiqui, 2020). Further, 20-50% of patients experience hemoptysis. In rare cases, patients experience chest and shoulder pain. However, this is usually a manifestation of lung cancer-related syndrome, referred to as Pancoast syndrome (Siddiqui & Siddiqui, 2020). Since lunger cancer does not have symptoms that are only specific to the disease, closer attention should be paid to patients in higher-risk populations. These include smokers and those who have quit smoking. 
               Lung cancer is diagnosed using imaging tests. CT scans are ideal because they identify the location, involved lymph nodes, as well as the tumor’s extent (Siddiqui & Siddiqui, 2020). Other tests include a pet scan, bronchoscopy, and biopsy. 
3 Pathophysiologic changes in COPD and how it differs from asthma
               COPD is a progressive lung disease characterized by airway inflammation that damages the tissues as a result of exposure to pollutants and tobacco smoke (Hikichi, Hashimoto, & Gon, 2018). The damage cannot be completely reversed. Functional changes as a result of COPD begin with the damage to the airways and air sacs. Cigarette smoke and other pollutants cause the immune system to respond and inflammatory cells accumulate in the airways, resulting in inflammation of the airways (Kim, 2017). Repeated exposure to cigarette smoke and pollutants causes a continuous inflammation of the airways. The airways become swollen and excessive mucus production occurs. This results in symptoms such as wheezing, cough and phlegm production, and dyspnea (Kim, 2017). As the inflammation occurs, changes in lung fu...