Question

Please respond to the following prompt. You may respond in a short, written paragraph or with an audio/video response (less than 2 minutes). (10 points)

Prompt

Collin moved to St. Louis from a remote city in Montana. Since arriving, he has had to use his inhaler quite frequently as his asthma has begun flaring up. He decides to make a visit to his doctor and the respiratory therapist at the practice says it is likely due to the recent exposure to air pollution, however, Collin only has attacks when in his workplace. He saw on social media a story about “sick building syndrome” and it claimed that employees developed allergic reactions just by breathing the air. “Hmmm,” he thought, “It seems like more and more people are getting sick in our office. He has colleagues with the flu, bronchitis turned into bronchopneumonia, and sinusitis. Could this building have an air quality problem?”

Questions

Please respond to the following questions using information from your textbook and utilizing your newly acquired terminology.

• Discuss which parts of Collins respiratory are likely affected and why.

• Discuss which environmental factors might cause an asthma attack.

• What factors could be considered as possible triggers for Collin’s frequent attack?

• What could be done to alleviate Collin’s attacks?

Answer

Hi Collin, what you brought up is very concerning. Especially since you said you have asthma.

What may be happening, is your body reacting to the poor air quality in your workplace. Asthma means your lungs are going to be hyper-sensitive to environmental triggers. It sounds like you workplace is one of these triggers.

There's mucus in your lungs that acts to trap and expel foreign particulate matter. (side note - do you of a term that can replace foreign?) When you get an asthma attack in response to this, the small tubes in your lungs, the bronchi, will start to constrict and produce more mucus in order to expel the particles. And while poor air quality may not be the only cause of an asthma attack, in this case, it seems the most likely scenario given what your coworkers are also going through.

Each of your coworkers has an affliction that affects their respiratory system--a part of the body most sensitive to particulate matter in the air. Flu is transmitted by bacteria in the air; bronchopneumonia is brought on my an infection of some sort; and sinusitis can be triggered by an allergen or bacteria in the air. Given this, it's no surprise that your asthma is acting up. Large amounts of bacteria and allergens in the air will definitely cause you to have more asthma attacks.

Knowing this, it's important to take steps to reduce your exposure to these triggers. If your coworkers fail to call in sick, you will want them or yourself to wear a mask to catch foreign substances before they enter your lungs. Make sure to reach out to your building manager as well. Poor air quality is a safety concern that may be alleviated by having them replace their HVAC filters, or upgrading to a stronger filter. I don't know how asthma works, but if there's a potential for symptoms to be delayed, then I want you to look at your commute as well. You may need to replace the air filter in your car (boo car infrastructure), or park closer to the building, if it is situated in an area of high pollution.

Discuss which parts of Collins respiratory are likely affected and why.